Demonic relationship
by CRRC
Summary: Story highlighting Bon and Rin's relationship as the two get to know each other and step away from rivalry and toward friendship, possibly more.
1. Chapter 1

~*~ Rin makes a stupid choice~*~

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><p>A knock at the door was greeted with silence. Unfamiliar with the word "privacy" Rin slowly slid the door open, his blue eyes peeking into the empty room. It was a typical dorm, large enough for everyone to have their space, but small enough to want more. There were four beds, one in each corner of the room, and in between them were desks, three in all, complimented with book shelves for easy access.<p>

Behind Rin swished his demonic tail, much like a cat's, it' signature question mark shape forming at the end. The black appendage drooped a little when he suspected no one was there, but just in case he whispered into the dorm.

"Bon?"

More silence. Perhaps Bon had fallen asleep? It wasn't unusual for him to get migraines, as he woke up at 5:30 (something that made Rin believe he was insane), and sleep them off between classes.

Upon peeking his head into the room further he noticed Bon's bed was empty, along with the other three. "Huh…." Rin bit his lip and tried to remember if Shima had mentioned they would be out.

When he came up clueless he wondered if he could recall Bon's hang out spots, only to realize he didn't know any of them. Well, the library being the exception, but like hell if he was going there on a holiday.

"Damn rooster." Rin huffed quietly to himself, referring to his friend's nickname, his tail swishing in the air with aggravation.

Finally, after two days, his slave driver brother had released him from hell. It had been the worst two days he could remember, day after day of cramming, books, reciting, and worst of all, note taking. His grueling efforts had paid off, and Yukio had finally allowed him out of their dorm. It didn't take long for Rin to burst through their old dorm doors, dramatically yelling "Freedom!" at the top of his lungs.

Now, much to his chagrin, he was out of ideas, his eyes scanning the empty room, then stopped to settle on one of the three desks. It was the only one that was perfectly clean, books organized, pens and pencils placed meticulously in their holder, prayer beads hanging from the wall, and a lamp that was currently turned off. Smirking Rin realized the obvious; it was Bon's desk.

With no shame he strolled into the room and pulled out the chair, flopping down in it, careful to flick his tail to the side to avoid being sat on and leaned back. The two chair legs groaned as they supported his light weight frame. Figuring he would wait for Bon, and hopefully Shima and Konekumuru to come back, he put his legs up on the desk and crossed them, stretching out in leisure.

Glancing around the room his eyes came to settle on the books Bon had, his eyebrow popping up inquisitively when he noticed one with no title, or author. With another check behind him to ensure no one was there he reached forward and snatched the book, looking at the unusual cover.

It was an average size, and not very thick; the spine, back and cover all the same pattern of gold and green, swirling together. The book was latched together with two clasps which Rin wasted no time undoing, and opening. Curiosity killed the cat, yet by some miracle Rin was still alive.

Flipping through the pages he recognized Bon's writing, haven seen it many times when he copied notes from the studious exorcist. He flipped to the front page and his eyes hungrily read the words, assuming he'd found Bon's journal. Typically he wouldn't care for such findings, but with Bon he couldn't resist. Bon, who was always so bashful about personal feelings, and quiet about family life.

Now, this wasn't to be misunderstood, his friend was very head strong, and voiced his opinions with no remorse or hesitation. The problem Rin had were those 'serious' talks, you know, the ones about family, his past, or how he felt about others. Any time the conversation got personal his fellow Exwire would blush furiously, mutter he didn't want to talk about it, and abruptly end the conversation. Having his journal was like a small peek into a forbidden room, and who could resist that?

"The four noble truths…"Rin quietly read to himself, his eyebrows creasing together in concentration as he muttered out loud. " To know suffering, to know what causes suffering, to know suffering can end, and to know the path the leads to the end of suffering…."

What an odd thing to write. Why would Bon be writing about suffering?

Eyebrows creased, now with concern, Rin closed the journal and held it in his hand. Lately Bon had been more withdrawn, spending more hours in his dorm studying. Even Shima and Konekomaru had mentioned it to Rin in passing, that Bon was going out for jobs longer, and staying at the gym later. Now that he really took a moment to think about it he wondered if Bon was alright.

Opening the door again his eyes scanned over the words "Path that ends suffering..." he muttered. Was he depressed? Was he planning to hurt himself?

Eyes wide as a plate Rin dropped the book to the desk and flew out of the room. "Yukio!" He yelled, even though his brother was nowhere around.

The run across the campus took half the time it normally did. He flew by a smaller group of friends from his regular classes, ignoring them when they shouted for him to come over. Feeling he didn't have a moment to spare he took the short cut he hated. It was a small, dirt path, cutting through much of the campus. Over grown weeds littered the ground, and occasionally a rock would jut out at just the right angle, catching unsuspecting students by the foot to send them spiraling to the ground. Finally he reached his dorm, panting, sweaty, and unable to catch his breath.

His younger brother, taken by surprise when Rin burst through the door huffing like a maniac, stared at Rin from his chair, pen still in his hand hovering over the notes he'd taken. After all the cramming he had done with his brother Yukio had changed into one of his favorite button down shirts and a relaxing pair of sorts, the clothes clinging to his average body frame. To some the notion of note taking was tedious and stressful, but for Yukio it was a nice way to spend the evening, and until now it had gone undisturbed.

"Geeze, Rin, I thought I wouldn't see you again for days now that you're done studying." He snorted, a small smile twitching at his lips. He then slid his glasses from the brim of his nose up to his head,perching them there so he could rub his eyes. Although he didn't mind the studying even his glasses couldn't help the blurry vision he had when he finally looked up from his books and notepad.

"Bon….."Rin huffed, ignoring Yukio's poor attempt at an insult. "Went to dorm…."Another breath "Wasn't there…found book…..suicidal…."he managed to get out, causing Yuko's humored face to quickly turn sour.

"What?" Yuko asked, although he'd heard Rin just fine. "Suguro isn't suicidal Rin, you're being ridiculous." Yukio rolled his eyes, turning back to his homework.

Sometimes he wondered if Rin wasn't a child, his mind stuck at the mentality of a six year old for all eternity, damning him to a life of baby sitting and forced study sessions. The thought made his eyebrow twitch in aggravation, his hand paused above the pend he was about to pick back up.

Finally able to catch his breath Rin stood up straight, taking his weight off the door frame. "Yukio I found this book, I think his journal, that he had written in, talking about the ending of suffering! He has been acting all weird too, even Niko has been concerned. We have to do something!"

"If you want to do something, go ask him." Yuki responded, his voice lacking all urgency, turning back around to look at his panic stricken brother.

"Yukio, what the hell!" Rin shouted, his temper quickly raising. Why the hell wasn't his brother, their teacher, doing anything!? Wasn't it also a part of his job to ensure the safty of his students?

With an aspirated sigh Yukio pointed toward the window in front of him with his pen. "Look Rin, Suguro is right there."

Rin rushed over to look with him, shoving Yukio to the side, spilling his study book to the floor in his haste. With an "oof" Yukio moved out of the way, avoiding being crushed by Rin's body as he smashed his face to the window, looking down onto the courtyard.

"What?!" Rin hadn't seen Bon as he'd run across campus, so how did he suddenly get next to their dorm? What was he doing next to their dorm anyway? Convinced of Rin's danger both him and Yukio had been moved to an abandoned dorm, one which many students took to be haunted. His only guess was the trio of friends had taken a short cut to get to a near by convenience store.

Pushing his glasses back up on his nose Yukio leaned down from his chair and picked up his text book, placing it back on his desk. "Just go ask him if you're so worried." Yukio suggested, wishing he could get back to his studies.

With a nod to himself Rin turned and ran out of the room, hooking his hand to the door frame to whirl himself out into the hallway, then running down the stairs as fast as he could without a word of goodbye.

Yukio listened intently for the dorm's front door, sighing in relief when it slammed shut. "Thank god." He muttered, opening his book and searching for the page he'd been at before. Still, he made sure to glance occasionally outside, wanting to keep an eye on his brother. Trouble followed Rin like a puppy followed its owner, obnoxiously and persistently.

He watched as Bon, his bi-colored hair made him obvious to Yukio even from five stories high, and his friends stopped walking.

Down in the court yard the smallest of the group stopped first, putting his hand over his eyes to shield the blaring sun from his vision."Is that Rin?" he asked, squinting through his glasses to try and make out the figure that was rapidly approaching.

"Tsk," Bon clicked this tongue against the roof of his mouth. "I thought he was studying the rest of the day." he muttered, still frustrated with Rin from a previous argument they'd had a few days earlier. He didn't remember what exactly they had fought about, but he knew he was still pretty pissed about it.

The pink haired boy to Bon's left shrugged. "Must have finished early." he said, watching as Rin ran up to them. "Hey'ya Rin, how's it goin'?"

"Bon!" Rin huffed, now out of breath again. "I need to talk to you." He said quickly, his hands to his knees , breathing heavily. His black hair had fallen to his face, his bangs sticking to his forehead.

Bon's honey brown eyes looked from the half demon to Shima, then to Konekomaru, then back to the demonic figure, although rather innocent looking, but still demonic none the less. "Okay, what?" he asked, wondering why the hell Rin was up to.

"Not here." Rin said standing up straight once his breathing became even and pushing his hair out of his face.

Bon's eyes squinted suspiciously and he crossed his arms. "Like hell Okumura, if you got something to say, say it. My friends can hear too." He said defensively, aggravated at Rin's sense of secrecy.

"Guys, don't start fighting again." Konekomaru pleaded gently, placing his hands up, which were covered by the extra-large hoodie Bon had lent him. He couldn't stand when the two fought, it was always so stupid, and once they started neither would stop until a teacher pulled them apart.

Rin ignored the bald teen and his eyes focused on Bon, showing him how serious he was. Bon's eyes met Rin's and he snorted in disinterest. "Say what you gotta say, or piss off, I'm supposed to be going to the gym."

"I-um….." it wasn't until that moment Rin had considered Bon would be pissed he'd gone into his room, much less looked at his things. His words twisted up inside of himself until they blurted out "Are you suicidal?!"

Bon's jaw swung open, his eyes going wide in disbelief. Shima and Konekomaru just stared at Rin like he'd burst into flames, a baffled expression on both their faces. "What the fuck, Okumura?! No!" Bon shouted, then shook his head. "Just, no! What the hell? Why would you think that?"

Cold sweat began to form on Rin's forehead and he brought his pointer fingers together and tapped them against each other anxiously. Something told him that he had just made a very stupid assumption. Knowing this was going to be a hard hole to dig himself out of he made a horrible attempt at explaining.

"Well, I went to find you guys and hang out, then you weren't in your dorm, then I got kinda tired and sat down at your desk, and noticed this weird book, and I read it; then I saw what you wrote about suffering, and I couldn't find you; so I ran back to find Yukio, but he didn't care…..then he found you….then I came outside….and…yeah…" Rin finished quickly, explaining in one breath then ending lamely, his cheeks as pink as a stick of strawberry pocky.

Blinking to rid himself of Rin's stupidity, Bon tried to understand what he just said. "You mean that green and silver one?" he asked, referring to his journal.

Shima's hands flew to his mouth and his body immediately shook with silent laughter. While Rin's ignorance pissed Bon off, Shima couldn't get enough of it, finding it both hilarious and entertaining.

Konekomaru scratched the back of his head, his own cheeks a light hue of pink, embarrassed not for himself but for his friend. "Rin, did it say anything about a path to end suffering?" he asked meekly.

Rin nodded, hoping Konekomaru would see how he could be so easily mistaken and ease his embarrassment. Before he could, though, Bon seemed to realize a very important bit of information.

"Wait!" Bon shouted, giving Shima a shove to rid him of the giggling teen. "You went through my stuff?!" he asked, then when Rin nodded, Bon lunged, swearing he was going to beat the shit out of Rin.

Luckily Shima acted quickly, and grabbed into Bon's arm, stopping him just a few inches short of Rin. "You ass! That could have been private! I bet you didn't even put my things back!" he snarled, hand reaching out in a feeble attempt to grasp Rin.

Rin blinked in confusion. He could understand Bon's frustration over Rin going through his things, but not over the petty part of forgetting to put it back. This guy could be so stupid sometimes.

"Bon, cool it! I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." Shima pleaded with Bon, who was struggling to get out of Shima's grasp, muttering furiously about a "Lazy, demon, asshole". Shima sighed, sure this feud would continue on for quiet some time.

"Rin." Konekomaru's quiet tone caught Rin's attention. "That is Bon's study book for Buddhism. You read the bit about something called the 'Four Noble Truths'. It has nothing to do with Bon wanting to kill himself." He explained gently.

Shima's lips pursed together and his body shook again with laughter. "Sorry man," he choked out, doing his best to hold Bon. "But you thinking Buddhism has to do with Bon hurting himself is so ass backwards it's funny." He said, unable to control himself any longer. His arms wrapped around his ribs as he doubled over in laughter.

That small moment of weakness was all Bon needed, and within a moment he had tackled Rin to the ground, then landed a punch square to his face. "You asshole!"

"Bon!" Konekomaru pulled at Bon's arm before he could hit Rin again, and Rin seized his chance and slid out from under Bon.

"I'm sorry! I just got bored!" Rin tried to explain as Bon ripped his arm from Konekomaru's grasp. Really he had been more curious than anything, but he didn't think that would help his case any.

"Rin!" a new voice added itself to the mix, freezing the small group of teens.

Shima, Konekomaru and Bon all glanced over. "Okumura-sensie." The three boys said with a slight bow to their teacher, Bon's temper cooling immediately.

Had it been only two years ago the appearance of a teacher wouldn't have mattered, but in that way, at least, Bon had matured.

"Rin, what did you do?" Yukio asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer. Luckily he had seen the fight from his door window, and had been able to step in before things got worse.

"Me?" Rin rubbed his sore cheek, wondering how he was getting the blame for being attacked. "I didn't do anything!"

Bon's anger flared to life suddenly as he glared at Rin with clenched fists. "You damn liar! Tell the truth! You went into our room when we weren't there, and looked through my stuff!"

"It's not like I found anything interesting!" Rin defended himself lamely.

"Yeah, so interesting you ran a damn marathon, thinking I was going to off myself!" Bon shouted.

"Enough!" Yukio cut in before they started to brawl again. "Rin, apologize." He ordered, praying to every god known in Assiah that Rin would listen and not fight him for once. Sometimes, just sometimes, Rin would have a moment of clarity and follow his younger brother's instructions.

"No way!" Rin shot, crossing his arms. "I was only trying to help a friend."

Yukio sighed heavily. Apparently this wasn't one of those times.

"Why you-" Bon took another lunge at Rin, slipping past Konekomaru and Shima, and tackled Rin again, sending them both sprawling the cold pavement.

Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as the two rolled on the ground like idiots. With a heavy sigh he waited for Bon to get another punch in (as far as Yukio was concerned he deserved it) before dragging Rin up off the ground, and back toward their dormitory. Shima had managed to get a hold of himself enough to hold Bon back, who struggled to get out of the arm lock he was currently held in.

"You fucking rooster, you'd better be glad my brother is here!" Rin yelled, trying to squirm out of Yukio's grasp.

"Rin! Shut up!" Yukio snapped, ignoring Bon who was yelling his own insults in return.

Once they were a reasonable distance away Yukio let go of Rin, and the two walked in silence back to their dorm. As Yukio locked the front door behind them he turned to look at Rin with a very stern expression. "Rin, detention. If I could, I'd ground you, or let Bon continue to beat you up, but I swore to protect you so, unfortunately, I can't do that."

Rin's eyebrows came together and his lips curved into a frown. "What're you, my mom?!" he shouted punching the nearest wall as Yukio began to ascend up the stairs. The concrete wall caved under the force of Rin's fist, creating a gaping hole. When he drew back bits concrete fell away, allowing a nice view into the kitchen where a confused Ukobach stood, leaning over a boiling pot, giving Rin a questioning look.

"I don't want to hear it, Rin!" Yuki clenched his fists and mustered all the authority he could, not bothering to stop and look at Rin. "You shouldn't have gone into Suguro's room, and you certainly shouldn't have looked through his things! Now, you write him, Shima, and Konekomaru a letter of apology and hand deliver it to them, other wise I'll be giving you more homework during the break!" he threatened, knowing that would pluck a nerve.

"Ugh!" Rin groaned, pulling at his hair as he stormed up the stairs after his brother, muttering something about a four eyed mole.

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><p>Reveiws are always welcomed :)))<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, thanks for your reviews. Let me know what you think!

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><p>~*~Rin has to say sorry, and Suguro almost doesn't buy it~*~<p>

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><p>"If you so much as get into a shouting match with Suguro, I'm making you stay in the dorm." The threat from his brother hung over him like a dark cloud on a sunny day.<p>

Given that Shura was always happy to make his life a living hell Rin didn't doubt a word of it. The red and yellow haired instructor would have him chasing down a Grim in a heartbeat, he knew. She would never miss an opportunity to laugh at him as he scrambled to work himself out of a difficult situation.

It was under that order he now stood outside of Bon's dorm room, knocking and waiting for someone to answer. Hopefully someone was there, otherwise he'd have to settle for sliding the notes under the door and hoping for the best. He also knew Yukio wouldn't except an excuse, so if he needed too he'd have to walk the campus until he ran into one of the trio.

Luckily Shima answered the door, and behind him Rin could see Bon sitting at his desk, and Konekomaru laying on his bed, a manga propped open in his lap.

"Hey, Rin." Shima said lightly, not bothered by Bon and Rin's fight in the something happened once a week it was easy to grow accustom to. Even Konekomaru stopped his leisurely reading to give a small wave hello. Bon was the only one who refused to acknowledge the black haired teen, which pissed Rin off to new levels.

Snorting back his irritation Rin thrust the envelopes out to Shima, who took them with a puzzled expression. "Oh…geeze…thanks…." He said, not knowing what to do with the newly acquired gifts.

"Whatever." Rin muttered, turning his back on Shima and sulking off down the hall, trying to put as much distance between himself and Bon as he could before he lost control of his temper and found himself at Shura's mercy.

"Okay! See you later then!" Shima called cheerfully after Rin, closing the door.

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><p>Bon's eyes scanned the poorly written apology and he scoffed, tossing the letter down on the desk. "What an ass." He muttered angrily, picking his pen up and going back to his homework.<p>

"You shouldn't get so mad, Bon. He was only curious." Konekomaru said from his bed, looking over his own letter, which he found sympathy in. It had taken him forever, but after four years Konekomaru had finally realized Rin wasn't a bad guy. Quite the opposite, it was his good intentions that got him into trouble, often when he was helping someone. Although he was a demon, and an idiot, there was no question about Rin's heart; it was made of gold.

Bon slammed his pen down in frustration, once again ignoring his assignment. " I can't believe you are taking his side!" his voice raising an octave in disbelief.

"Neko is right, Bon. It's not like we can expect him to know anything about Buddhist either, I mean he was raised in a church with a priest for a dad." Shima said, earning a nod of approval from Konekomaru.

"Ugh!" Bon turned around to glare daggers at both his traitorous friends. "He is such an idiot he would never be able to grasp the principals of it, even if someone showed it to him in a children's book!"

Now Konekomaru frowned, crossing his arms. "Bon, that isn't very kind to say. You should look more toward our practice. Buddha is in everyone, and compassion is what leads us to nirvana. It isn't Rin's fault for not knowing, but it **_is_** your fault for being so angry about it. Control your temper." He snapped at his older friend, frustrated that he was, yet again, telling one of them to seek the path they had walked their whole life.

Bon gripped the edge of his desk hard, silently contemplating what Konekomaru said, knowing he was right but unwilling to admit it. All his life his temper had been something he needed to work on, and for the longest time he allowed it to wreak havoc, thinking his anger as nothing more than fuel for his ambition. Recently he'd been understanding that his anger wasn't grounds to be motivated, but something that needed to be managed.

"….anger is nothing more than suffering that people can't accept…" his father's words echoed in his mind, the truthful phrase wrenching his gut with frustration.

With a sigh he stood, his chair skidding across the floor. "I need some air." He mumbled, walking out of the room and closing the door quietly behind himself, ignoring Konekomaru's pointed look.

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><p>The cold winter air cooled his heated face, causing him to let out a sigh in relief as he leaned against a low lining wall outside of his dorm. Enjoying the time to himself Bon crossed his arms and closed his eyes, thankful that he could go outside and be alone for a moment.<p>

In his haste he'd walked out without a jacket, his arms quickly becoming cold in his t-shirt. He settled for stuffing his hands inside his pockets, grateful he, at least, had a pair of sweatpants on. Another small gust of wind gathered some leave, scraping and dragging them as they were pulled along the stone sidewalk.

"Bon?" his peaceful world shattered to nothingness with that single question.

Gritting his teeth Bon opened an eye to see Rin standing a few feet from him. Wondering if he would get a clue and leave Bon closed his eye again and took another deep inhale, trying to calm his nerves.

"I'm sorry I went through your stuff, Bon." He heard Rin say, his voice heavy with sincerity.

Konekomaru's words from their conversation swam around in his head, kicking up thoughts of unease in his pool of serenity. He was quiet for another moment.

"Would you stop calling me that?" He sighed lightly, a small and subtle gesture that Rin took as a peace treaty.

Rin came to stand next to Bon, resting his torso against the lowered wall, both of them standing in uncomfortable silence. "So, what was that thing, anyway? The four truths, or whatever?" Rin asked, his eyes looking toward the stars as he spoke.

"The Four Noble Truths." Bon snapped, wishing he would get it right. Would it kill him to pay attention? "It is like the foundation of Buddhism, and teaches us ways to overcome our own pain and suffering, and help others too." He explained gently, trying his best to dumb it down so Rin could, hopefully, understand.

Rin's eyes looked away from the heavens and down to Bon, his face knitted in a serious manner. "How can that teach someone to overcome pain?" his mind instantly snapped to memories of his father and the fateful night everything changed forever. The blue flames, his father's last words, and the pain that would probably last a lifetime.

Bon scratched his head, wondering if he should really get into the complexity of his religion. "By having us face the reality of our pain, and counter it with things like compassion, or non-attachment. What were you doing in our room earlier, anyway?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. It made him uncomfortable to talk about something so personal.

Luckily for him, Rin took the bait. "Yukio finally let me off the hook with studying, so I came over to hang out with you guys. Shima just got a new game console, right?" he asked hopefully.

Bon nodded in affirmation and a small lapse of silence fell over them.

"Sorry I hit you earlier…" Bon muttered under his breath, guilt finally rearing its head.

"Eh," Rin shrugged, "No biggy, not like I can't take a punch from a wimp like you."

Bon shoved Rin playfully, leaning off the wall to make his way back to their dorm. "Shut it, Okumura, or next time I'll really make it count." He threatened lightly, holding the dorm door open so Rin could go in.

As they made their way up the stairs they chatted about Shima's new X Box One, each taking turns to talk about which their favorite game was, or which they wanted to play. Rin hadn't had a chance to play it yet, but Bon had clocked in a few hours already, when he wasn't studying.

"I know Shima likes Call of Duty." Bon was saying as he opened their dorm door, leading into their room.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Shima said with a smile, looking from his magazine to Bon and Rin. "Here I was thinking you needed some alone time."

Konekomaru rolled his eyes at his friend's antics and thanked Rin for the letter.

"You're welcome." Rin said, a light blush on his face, his hand scratching at the back of his head nervously. "I am sorry for coming in like that. I should have thought first."

Bon rolled his eyes. "If you started doing that, then you wouldn't be Rin anymore."

Rin's arm dropped to his side as he cast a light glare over at Bon, who was now sitting back at his study desk. "Very funny." He muttered, then turned his attention to Shima. "Hey! Can we play your new X Box?" he asked.

Shima hopped off his bed enthusiastically. "Hell yes! My brother just sent me Mortal Combat!" he announced, Konekomaru rolling his eyes. The younger exorcist didn't understand their fascination with games, and much like Bon, would rather spend his time studying.

"Could you guys just keep it down? I'm still working on his chapter for Anti-Demon Pharmacology." Bon asked, looking down at his book, his hands in his hair. Sometimes this whole over achiever thing really sucked. He'd been working on his essay for the better of three hours. Granted, there had been a lot of distractions, i.e. Rin, but still this was taking forever.

Shima glanced at Rin with a smirk, knowing how over ambitious his friend could be at times. "You sure, Bon? I even have spare controllers."

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><p>It was only an hour later that all four boys were huddled around the TV, controllers in hand, empty beers spread out over the floor, and a bag of chips lay ravaged on the edge of Shima's bed. It had taken Bon all but five minuets to drop his pen, and Shima ten to find their beer. Konekomaru had finally joined them after a good pester from Bon, and now had a clear advantage in the score.<p>

"Another win for Konekomaru!" he shouted, springing up off the floor and doing a small victory dance with a very drunk Rin, Shima, and Bon sitting at his feet.

"Whatever." Rin tossed the controller down, rubbing his eyes furiously.

Shima set his controller down too, flexing his fingers then popping his knuckles. "It's only because you're sober." He accused.

Konekomaru rejected the accusation with a huff of air. "Oh please, I'd kick all your asses any day, sober or not." He stated in a very un-Konekomaru fashion.

"I'm going out for a smoke." Bon said, interrupting the two before they could start arguing. Despite his better judgment Bon had drank quite a few beers, and was now feeling light headed and slightly dizzy. The thought of the fresh air outside was appealing to him, so he hauled himself up off the floor.

Rin gave him a questioning look. "You smoke? Since when?"

Bon stretched his hands over his head before withdrawing a soft pack of cigarettes from his pocket, bumping it with the back of his hand causing a smoke to stick out. "Since the whole Gagoze incident." He said plucking the cigarette from the pack with his lips, then stepping over Shima's out stretched legs to get to the door.

"Huh…" Rin watched as Bon left, closing the door behind himself, leaving him with his two other friends. "He doesn't strike me as the smoking type."

Shima shrugged and Konekomaru nodded. "Me neither. He said he was going to quit soon, though."

"Eh," Shima reclined back on his elbows "If he wants to smoke let him, it isn't like he doesn't have a lot going on."

Konekomaru's eye narrowed at his pink haired friend. "It isn't good for him, Shima. We are his friends, and we should care about his well-being enough to ask him to stop."

Sensing an argument in the making Rin spoke up. "My dad used to smoke." He said conversationally. "He quit when he took us in though."

"See," Konekomaru continued as if Rin never spoke "if we show him that we care maybe he'll stop sooner."

Shima ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just saying if he wants to he can, he is an adult after all, and pretty smart. It isn't like Bon doesn't know how bad they are."

As Konekomaru opened his mouth to retort Rin quickly stood, scooping up two unopened beers and made his way for the door. "You two love birds have fun bickering, I'm going outside." He said, ignored once again as the two quietly argued about their friend's bad habit.

Pushing open the exit door with his shoulder Rin noticed Bon sitting on the low wall by the building, lit cigarette in hand, a cloud of smoke lingering close by as it was swept away by the wind.

"Shima and Neko are bitching, so I came outside." He said, not wanting to intrude on Bon's space. He offered him one of the unopened beers as an offering and when Bon didn't object, took a seat next to him.

Bon smiled a bit at the mention of his friends, taking the beer from Rin with a nod of thanks. "Those two always bitch at each other, Shima gets it for being a perv and Neko gets it for being too stiff. They are perfect for each other." He grinned, hooking his finger under the lid of the beer can and popping it open.

Rin chuckled lightly at the statement and opened his own beer, taking a chug before setting it down. "It's nice."

"Hm?" Bon hummed, taking a sip of his own beer after exhaling a breath of smoke.

"Friends." Rin said simply, as if it were obvious.

Bon's eyebrow quirked up, giving off a questioning look. He'd expect that kind of answer from Shiemi, but not from Rin. "You say that like you haven't ever had any."

"Well, I haven't. Not really, till I came here, anyway." Rin admitted, a slight blush on his face, hidden by the shadows.

Bon studied him for a moment, taken aback by the confession. Although he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box he was still a good dude, one that Bon would have taken to be the popular guy in school. "Oh, come on. Surely you had a few friends?" he asked hopefully.

Rin shook his head and took another swig of beer. Had he been more sober you wouldn't of caught him dead talking about this. "No… no, not really. I mean," he stammered thinking about his brother "I always had Yukio and my dad, and the guys at the monastery too. I just never fit in."

Bon watched him as he spoke, his eyebrows raised in a slightly shocked expression. "Holy shit, you're being serious aren't you?" Rin nodded in response.

"Why? You're a pain in the ass, but you're a good friend, now that you've learned how to avoid accidentally burning people to a crisp." He joked, knowing well that Rin had never hurt anyone with his fire, despite a few close calls.

Rin wiped his nose and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I got it under control as quick as I could."

Bon flicked his finished cigarette out into the dark and took another drink. "I guess that explains why we had to beat it into you that you have friends that have your back. Took you long enough to get it, by the way." He said standing up from the wall to go back inside.

"Hey, I didn't know how you guys would feel when you found out who I was!" Rin said with his hands out in front of him in a pleading gesture, asking for Bon to cut him some slack. He got up, following Bon over to the door, his hands stuffed in his pocket, hiding from the cold.

Bon gave a one shouldered shrug. "We got over it." His hand hooked around the door handle, swinging the door open so they could go back up to the dorm.

"Koneko almost didn't…."Rin muttered, trudging up the stairs behind Bon.

The mohawked teen snorted with disinterest. "He's just sensitive. You know that." And indeed Rin did, haven dealt with his friends for a few years now he knew how long Konekomaru could hold a grudge, and how easy it was to hurt his feelings. Still, it didn't make dealing with the situation any better.

"Shima! Knock it off!" Konekomaru's voice echoed down the hall, followed by the sound of wrestling bodies.

Bon growled to himself and jogged down the hallway, Rin close on his heels. "What the hell?" he barked, shoving the door open, only to find Shima shoving Konekomaru off the computer chair, his face inches away from the screen.

Bon and Rin both stopped and stood in the doorway, Bon's beer held lightly in his hand with an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"Guys, what're you doing?" Rin asked, pushing past Bon to look at the computer screen. "Sum 41? What's that?"

Bon's jaw hinged open and he joined his three friends at the computer, Shima now grinning like an idiot as he clicked away at the screen.

"They are a band." Konekomaru explained, pushing his chair back so he could make some space for himself, leaving Shima to stand in front of the computer. "One of Bon and Shima's favorites."

"Are they comin' around?" Bon asked, shouldering Rin out of the way to get a look at the tour dates Shima had just pulled up. His eyes scanned the screen hungrily, then stopped when they came to the city Shinjuku. "Holy shit, they are going to be right by the train station. We could do that."

"Uh, by 'we' you mean all of us, right?" Rin asked quietly, hoping he was invited too.

"Of course, dumb ass." Bon grumbled, but his face fell when he looked at the date next to the venue. "Aw, damn. We can't go. Our Aria testing is the next day, there is no way we would be up for that."

"Man," Shima leaned away from the computer, threading his fingers together behind his head. "That would have been one hell of a time."

Konekomaru stood up from the computer chair and padded his way over to his bed, flopping down in it, then burying himself under his heavy blankets. "Oh well." He yawned, taking his glasses off and setting them down on on his nightstand. "Maybe next year."

"Koneko has a point, it isn't like they won't be around again" Shima muttered, crawling into his own bed as Rin took over the seat Konekomaru was in.

Bon grumbled something to himself, clearly still disappointed about the missed opportunity. Deep down he knew his studies came first, but he'd be a liar if he said he didn't care. Done with the day he bid Rin goodnight and slipped off to sleep, pulling his curtain down over his bed so he wouldn't be disturbed, leaving Rin by himself in the room.

His dark blue eyes looked around, sighing as the sound of deep breathing filled the room, signaling everyone was already fast asleep. Sometimes friends could be so boring. Swinging back around in his chair he turned to the computer and scrolled through the tour dates, a smirk tugging at his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

For those in need of a proper laugh, the gummy bears I refer to are on Amazon, they are sugar free Haribo gummy bears, the 1lb bag (the comments are hilarious).

* * *

><p>~*~ Rin learns a trick from his Dad, has a plan, fails, and succeeds ~*~<p>

* * *

><p>The next morning the sun peered through the curtains, shinning its obnoxious rays directly onto Rin's face, stirring him awake. The black haired teen groaned and rolled over, placing his back to the sunlight, his eyes peeking awake to look at the wall. Lazily he stretched, his shoulder popping and his toes curling.<p>

After a few minutes of wishing he could fall back asleep Rin sat up in bed, looking around the dorm room. Of course, Bon was gone, Konekomaru was reading, and Shima was still fast asleep. A typical morning in the Aria dorm. Rubbing at his eyes Rin swung his feet over the edge of the bed and yawned, his pointed fangs shown to the world.

"Mornin' Niko." He mumbled, his tail whipping out across the blankets. The fluffy end of his tail brushed against the sheets, moving his blanket up against the wall.

"Hey, Rin. Any chance we can get some of your awesome cooking today?" The young man asked hopefully, haven waited all morning for Rin to wake up. Although the cafeteria food was good, it really didn't compare to the excellent cooking Rin was known for.

Rin smiled at him and nodded. "Sure thing, you know I don't mind cooking." He stood up out of bed to stretch, thinking about what he could make. Any time he slept over he always made breakfast, it was like an unspoken contract. "What time is it, anyway?" he wondered out loud.

Konekomaru smirked, pushing his glasses up the brim of his nose. "11 o'clock."

"What?!" Rin starred in disbelief. "Where is Bon? Isn't he back by now?"

Shima, whom had woken to Rin's loud voice, grumbled and sat up quickly. "If you are going to be annoying, go outside!" he snapped, pulling the edge of the blankets up over his head them slamming his body back to the mattress.

Konekomaru rolled his eyes and put his book down on his bed, pulling the covers off himself and grabbed a pair of sweat pants from his dresser. "Shima, you're going to miss breakfast if you keep sleeping."

Their pink haired friend promptly gave them the finger before pulling the covers back over himself, quietly mumbling about how he hated beer.

"Whatever then." Rin sighed, going out the door with Konekomaru, the two making their way down to the empty kitchen.

Luckily it was later in the day, so Rin had the kitchen to himself. Most of the students were in class, or enjoying the air outside. That was fine by Rin, he loved an empty kitchen,something his father and Yukio had learned very early on.

Konekomaru took a seat at a table near the serving window, watching as Rin set something down on the counter and then went to wash his hands.

"What's this?" he asked, pulling his hoodie's sleeve back so he could pick up the papers and get a look.

"Huh?" Rin turned his head to see what he was referring to. "Oh, yeah. That." A hot blush crept across his face as he quickly went back to scrubbing his hands, hiding his embarrassment.

Konekomaru's eyes scanned the paper, going wide in disbelief. "You got us tickets?!"

In the kitchen Rin's face flared with heat, so hot he wondered if he didn't "Flame Up" at his friends called it, accidentally unleashing his demonic flames. "Yeah….." he focused on retrieving food from the fridge and tried to act like it wasn't a big deal. In a matter of minuets he had set some Miso Soup on the stove, complimented with fresh diced mushrooms, dried seaweed and chopped green onion. The white rice had been set in a rice cooker and a pan was already warming with a dash of olive oil greasing the pan.

Not allowing the subject to drop Konekomaru stood and strode into the doorway of the kitchen, watching as Rin bustled about. "Rin, you know Bon said he couldn't go."

Rin scratched the back of his head and shifted his weight uneasily. "Yeah, I know." He cracked eggs into a pan and stirred them, avoiding the brown eyes that seemed to be boring holes into his body. "I figured if I gave them to him, maybe he would go. I mean, you guys work real hard, right? Everyone deserves a day off."

"Plus, I've never been to a concert before." He thought to himself, hiding that selfish part of him away.

"Rin," Konekomaru leaned against the counter, the tickets in his hand. "You know Bon won't chance failing this test. It is too important."

Checking the eggs one last time Rin turned the burner off and pulled out a large plate, spilling the contents of the pan out. With clean hands he sprinkled some cheese onto of the flat egg mix and began to roll them then, using a knife, sliced them. "I know that." His brow knitted in concentration as he slid the knife under the omelet roll and placed them on separate, smaller plates.

"Then what're you gunna do?" Konekomaru asked, his eyes hungrily following the tamagoyaki while is nose was assaulted with the miso soup Rin has been allowing to simmer. Rin, knowing Konekomaru to be vegetarian, had opted to make the soup with tofu, which had Konekomaru silently dancing in anticipation.

Rin shrugged as he finished placing the egg rolls on the plates, and then moved to put the white rice in serving bowls. "I'll talk to Yukio and see what he says."

"See that he says about what? "a new voice joined the kitchen, causing both Rin and Konekomaru to look toward the doorway. Bon was standing there, a towel around his neck, ear buds hanging down his chest in a shirt that was half soaked.

Rins' eyes widened as he gave Bon a concerning look. "How long have you been running for?!"

Bon shrugged and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I dunno, since about seven?"

"Seven!?" Rin spun to look at the clock on the wall, jaw dropping when he saw it was close to noon. Taking a moment to some math he starred at the clock, then turned back to Bon. "You've been jogging for almost five hours!"

Bon turned his nose up in disinterest. "I went to the gym too."

Rin, empty bowl and a serving spoon full of rice in each hand, stood and starred at Bon in awe. Sure, he loved sports and exercise, but that was taking it to a whole new level. "Are you….okaaay?" he asked, still standing with the rice and bowl.

Bon looked from Konekomaru (who had the same look of concern) to Rin. "Uh…yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

The three stood in awkward silence for a moment, when finally Rin shrugged and flicked the rice into the bowl, setting it on a tray next to a plate of tamagoyaki. "Okay then. You hungry?"

"You know it." Bon said, picking up a tray once Rin had put some Rice on it, then heading back out to the lunch room to take a seat.

It didn't take long for Konekomaru to join him, and soon after Rin served to miso soup. As Rin sat down with them to eat Konekomaru looked over to Bon, the tickets now set on the table next to him. "Bon, look what Rin got." He said sliding the papers over to Bon.

Eating a bite of rice Bon picked up the paper and upon reading its contents stopped mid chew. "Dude! I thought we weren't going?!" he asked, mouth full of food.

Rin twirled his spoon in his soup and gave a small, one shouldered shrug. "I thought I'd talk to Yukio and see what he said. I mean if he thinks it's a good idea it should be fine, yeah?"

"I dunno, man." Bon slid the tickets over to Rin who looked significantly crest fallen. "I'd be pretty stupid to fuck up on our meister test."

* * *

><p>"But Yukio!" Run drug his feet as he stalked after his brother in the empty classroom they currently occupied. Apparently, despite holiday still being a few days longer, Yukio was already preparing classes.<p>

Yukio slammed a small stack of books down on his desk. "No, Rin! Really, I can't believe you'd be reckless enough to suggest such a thing!"

"Ugh!" Rin flopped down helplessly in a chair. "Come on, just this one favor, just one! I never ask you for help!"

Yukio's blue eyes rolled behind his glasses. "You mean like the time I let you skip homework?"

"But that-"

"Or the time I told Mephisto you were too sick for detention?"

"Yeah, okay but-"

"Or that time Shura wanted you to to go into the sewer to look for the M.O.L.B?"

Rin sighed heavily and just as Yukio seemed done. "Yukio I get it-"

"What about that time too, you know, when that ghost wanted to kiss you, Bon, Shima, and Koneko?"

"You didn't even-"

"Or that time-"

"OKAY!" Rin shouted, standing up from his chair and stomping toward the door. "I get it! Nevermind!" he grabbed the door and flung it open, marching into the hallway, ignoring Yukio's shouts that followed him.

"Stupid, four-eyed mole face!" he muttered furiously under his breath.

* * *

><p>Once outside Rin began to sulk his way back to his dorm, stopping when Kuro, his black, two-tailed cat sidhe came running up. "Rin!" the cat shouted between their telepathic link.<p>

Rin smiled a bit, stopping to squat down and talk to Kuro. "What's up Kuro?"

"Rin! Your friend with the toys told me you are going out!" the cat purred happily.

"Konekomaru?" Rin questioned, knowing how much he loved cats and frequently played with Kuro. "We were going to, but we have tests coming up, so we won't be able to." He explained sullenly.

The black cat jumped up and down happily, knowing he had a solution. "What about Shiro's gummy bears?!"

A crease formed between Rin's eyebrows and he frowned. "Huh?"

"Shiro's gummy bears! He used to give them to people when he didn't want to do stuff." The cat explained.

Rin stood up and crossed his arms, one hip jutting out as he tried to think about what Kuro may be referring to. Gummy bears? He'd never heard the old man say anything about that, but then again look at how much he'd kept from Rin before. Curious now, Rin pulled his cell phone from his pocket and speed dialed the monastery. A few rings later he heard someone pick up.

"Shinjuku monastery, Kyodo speaking" Rin smiled at his friend's voice.

"Hey Kyodo, it's Rin!"

"Rin! Guys, Rin is on the phone!" in the background Rin could hear shouts of hello, followed by the receiver being snatched away.

"Hey Maruta, how's it goin'? Rin asked when he realized who had taken the phone.

"Good, when are you and Yukio coming home for a visit? Isn't it a holiday over there?" the large bellied exorcist asked, making Rin smile in appreciation. It was so easy to miss that place, even if it did bring back painful memories.

"Soon, I hope, and yeah it is, but you know Yukio, he won't take a break to save his life." Rin chuckled, then moved to the reason he called. "Hey, look, I have a question. I was talking with Kuro and he said something about Dad and gummy bears. He used them to get out of work or something?"

"Huh?" the phone went silent for a moment, then was assaulted with loud, rich laughter. "Your brother would kill me if I told you."

Rin stomped his foot in frustration and sighed. "Whatever, look, just tell me what it is!" he snapped, his curiosity now at a boiling point.

"Well," a small chuckle escaped as he explained, "Shiro found out that sugar free gummy bears give people a horribly upset stomach, so he handed them out to his superiors once, to avoid a meeting. After that he would give them out on occasion to avoid things, like paper work deadlines or briefings. Once he gave the whole Japan branch the 'stomach flu', or so everyone thought. It was terribly funny."

Rin's eyes widened as he listened to Maruta laugh at fond memories. "That old fart? No way he did that!"

"Ah, yeah, he did. Fujimoto was quite the riot. Didn't you ever wonder where you got it from?" his friend teased gently. Deep down everyone knew how similar Rin was to their old friend, something that people silently found relief in, and something that helped ease his passing. It seemed like everyone but Rin saw how close the two were.

Rin scoffed "Whatever. Anyway, thanks. I'll tell Yukio everyone said hi!" and with that they exchanged a quick goodbye, Rin standing there looking down at Kuro curiously. It didn't take long for a brilliant idea to pop into his head.

* * *

><p>School had started up again, and luckily all of the teachers were still finishing up their class. The exorcist teachers would be on their way soon, gathering for their start of the term meetings, talking about test score goals, expectations of students and all other manner of pointless teacher discussions. Now was the time, if it was going to happen, it needed to be now.<p>

"Rin, are you sure about this?" Kuro looked cautiously down the hall, behind him Rin followed, dressed in a black hoodie and black jeans, a bowl of gummy bears clutched close to his chest. Although he would never admit it, Rin silently hummed the James Bond theme music in his head.

Rin nodded, his face etched into a serious manner. "Absolutely."

Coming to the hallway corner he peered into the empty corridor, then with a quick glance behind him, tip toed out of hiding. Inching along, his back pressed to the wall he slowly made his way to an open door, taking a quick peek inside. With a sigh of relief he saw it was empty, the knot in his stomach easing slightly, but leaving him giddy with mischief. If only Yukio knew!

Snickering to himself Rin dove into the room, careful of the many chairs lining the long table that stood in the center of the room, and placed the gummy bears in the center of the table. He took a moment to look at his work, nodded to himself then left the room, mindless of the white dog sitting in the corner of the room.

"Do you really think that'll work, Rin?" Kuro asked once they were outside.

Rin shrugged, "I don't know, but I hope it does. The concert is tonight, so we should know what is happening by then. If all goes well we can be on a train headed to the show by six!"

"Is that what this is about Mr. Okumura?" Rin cringed at the voice behind him.

"Heh heh..."His hand shot to his hair nervously, turning to look at the head master of the school "Hey Mephisto...whatcha up to?"

The purple haired, oddly dressed adult stood, eyebrow arched, as he looked at Rin. "I think the question here, is why were you trying to make all of my teachers sick?" he asked, and with a snap of his fingers appeared the bowl of gummy bears. "Such innocent looking things." he mused, plucking a gummy bear from the bowl and squeezing it gently between his fingers.

"Uh...um..." Rin glanced around in a panic, positive that there was no way out of his current situation. "Shit!" he thought to himself, "He must have seen Dad do it before. I should have thought of that!"

Mephisto tossed the little bear back into the bowl, his eyes still fixated on Rin. "Well, little brother?"

Rin swallowed hard, he hated when he was called that. "There is a concert tonight and-"

"A concert?!" the bowl of satanic gummies went flying and Mephisto's hands came together in joy. "Why didn't you say so!"

Rin glanced around, this time in confusion, unsure of what to say. "Uhhh..."

"Why aren't you on your way now?" Mephisto asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot, the very picture of concern.

"The others didn't want to go because of the exams tomorrow." Rin explained.

"Say no more!" Mephisto snapped his fingers, giving Rin a wink. "Consider this a free pass, I'll have exams withheld until Monday."

"No way!" Rin's eyes bulged in disbelief as Mephisto turned on his black boot's heels and began to walk away from Rin, whistling a wired little tune.

He hesitated in his stride, glancing back at Rin. "Oh, just don't forget to get me a T-shirt, okay?" and with that he dissipated into a wisp of purple smoke.


	4. Chapter 4

In regards to their drinking, the legal age in Japan for drinking and smoking is 20, which these guys are right under at 19. These laws are very lax, however, and it isn't uncommon to see minors smoking and/or drinking.

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><p>~*~Bon and Shima have a discussion about dating,<br>Rin and Bon are terrible at card games,  
>a concert turns to hell ~*~<p>

* * *

><p>Leaning back in his chair Bon bit the end of his pencil, looking over at Shima who was sitting on his bed.<p>

"But Bon, really you can't expect someone to never have a love interest."Shima was explaining, the topic of dating now the hot debate of the dorm (again).

Bon scratched the temple of his head with the eraser side of the pencil, willing his on-coming headache to subside. "No one said anything about serious dating!" he growled, trying to explain again. "But the whole flirting with every girl, the lewd comments, the magazines! It falls under the five precepts, Shima."

Konekomaru, who was sitting at his own desk, nodded in agreement with Bon. "He's right, giving into such worldly desires will only lead to suffering, and not just for yourself either."

Shima's dark brown eyes rolled lazily. "Whatever guys. There is no point in living if you can't have a little fun. I mean, we all drink right?"

"I don't!" the smallest teen boasted, happy to be able to exclude himself from the list.

"Well," Shima's gaze shifted over to Bon, giving him an accusing look. "You do."

Bon tossed his pencil down onto his desk, leaning forward to let his front chair legs thump back down to the floor. "I'd rather drink occasionally then look like a love sick dog in-" he stopped mid sentence, his phone ringing loudly from his desk, announcing it had received a text message. Letting the subject drop for the moment Bon snatched up his phone and read the text, curious when he saw it was from Rin.

"Holy shit! No way!" Bon was already texting back when Shima got up to look over Bon's shoulder at the phone.

"What is it?" Konekomaru asked, remaining at his desk.

"Rin said Mephisto is pushing back exams so we can go to the concert!" Bon checked his watch to look at the time, quickly calculating in his head how long the train ride would take. "You think we should leave by six, or seven?" he asked looking to his friends.

"Pft." Shima had already began rummaging through his dresser, looking for clothes to wear. "Are you kidding? We should leave at five, go get some drinks, and then hop on the train. Pre-gameing is the only way to do this. Other wise our bar tab will be huge."

Konekomaru starred at Shima, then looked to Bon. "Are you going to be drinking too?" he asked, his voice with a hint of reproach.

Bon picked his pencil back up and tapped it against his desk, thinking the new situation over. They were just giving Shima crap about breaking rules, and now he was going to drink again? It would be hypocritical, but really, when was the next time he'd be going out like this? Not to mention that he had just been given a free night, not having plans since he intended to study before testing.

"Fuck it." he tossed the pencil down again. "Let's do it." He flipped his phone open and text Rin, telling him to meet at five.

"Maybe I should stay here then..." Both Bon and Shima looked to Konenomaru, waiting for an explanation. "Well, I mean, it's just that I don't like really loud places like that, and I don't drink, plus I'd rather stay here." he stammered out, hoping they wouldn't give him a hard time.

Shima threw a few different shirts onto his bed, looking at them in turn trying to pick one out. He pulled his shirt off and shrugged at his friend."It'll suck without you, but if that's what you want." he picked up his yellow shirt, tried it on, them promptly took it back off.

"You're sure you don't want to go, man?" Bon asked, ignoring Shima's dismissive manner. He hated when any of them were excluded out of something; they were a group after all. Although Konekomaru didn't like loud places, this was true, Bon was sure he would still have fun.

Konekomaru nodded and turned back to his book. "Yeah, it's fine. I'll hold things down here while you guys go. Plus, if you get lost in a drunken stupor, you need to have back up to get you home." he smirked, only half joking.

Bon laughed quietly to himself and he stood and went over to his own dresser, looking through his clothes. Unlike Shima everything was organized by color, short sleeve, long sleeve, jeans, sweats, sweaters etc. "As long as you're sure, man."

It took him no time to pull out his favorite blue jeans (with one hole in the knee, thanks for asking), a white t-shirt, and a long sleeve black button down. The real challenge came when he started sorting through his assortment of ear rings. Should he do studs or rings? His head tilted to the side as he stared at the jewelry, trying to make up his mind.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile on the other side of the campus Rin was having his own problems. "Kuro, you can't go!" he said pulling his shirt over his head, his wet hair clinging to his face.<p>

The black cat let out a whine so loud and pathetic that could have been mistaken for Rin attempting to murder it. "Whhhhhhhhy?!"

"Because," Rin tried to put his other leg through his jeans, lost his balance and fell sideways into the wall. "There will be too many people, and you'd get squished!"

"What if I go like this?" Kuro asked, a white wisp of smoke billowing around him as he suddenly grew, quadrupling in size, now towering over Rin and barley fitting in the small dorm room.

Rin, who had finally managed to get his pants on, stopped what he was doing and gave Kuro a blank stare. "No." He went back to getting ready, slapping on a black leather wrist cuff before moving to his shoes.

The cat shrank back down to his normal size, resuming his yowling until Yukio make his presence known from his side of the room. "Kuro, if you stop I'll buy you some catnip wine." the younger brother promised, ceasing all obnoxious noises from the cat, then turned an accusing eye on his brother. "I still can't believe you got the exams for your class postponed. Kamiki is pissed too, just so you know."

"Pokebrows will be fine." Rin grumbled as he slipped on his last shoe, pulling out the heel. "Anyway, I'm off. I'll be back later." he said making his way toward the door, Yukio giving him a dismissive wave as he left the dorm.

Yukio looked down at Kuro, who meowed at him expectedly, and let out a heavy sigh. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Finally as the clock ticked to five Rin saw Bon, and Shima, making their way to the train platform. "'Bout time you guys got here." Rin greeted them, looking at the bag Shima was holding with question. "What's that?"<p>

Shima opened the bag to peer in it. "Bon got whiskey and I got Shochu, we didn't know what to get you, so we figured we'd share." he explained, fishing his hand into the back and pulling out a bottle of clear liquid, which Rin knew to be the Shochu.

"Where'd you guys get it from?" Rin asked, digging into the bag to pull out the darker bottle of whiskey.

Bon gave a one shouldered shrug. "Guy who I go to class with, he owed me a favor for giving him some notes one time." he took the whiskey from Rin and put it back into the bag. "The biggest question is how the hell you got the clown to call class out."

Rin blushed slightly, not willing to explain the part about the gummy bears. "I asked him if we could change the date, and when I told him why he got real happy, and told me to bring him back a t-shirt."

Bon and Shima both gave Rin an inquisitive look before letting the subject drop. Hell, it wasn't like there was a point in trying to figure out Mephisto anyway; the dude was a lunatic. "So, Tokyo Loose is where we're headed right?" Shima asked, looking to Rin for confirmation.

"Yup," Rin gave an enthusiastic nod as the trio set off toward the train station. "It is supposed to be pretty close to the train station."

"Yeah, it is, I looked it up to be sure." Bon stuck his hand in his back pocket and withdrew their train tickets he'd purchased online, then handed one to each. In exchange Rin handed them their concert tickets, which they all tucked safely away in their wallets.

Shima, after stuffing his ticket into his wallet, was now willing to contribute his part to their outing. "Excellent, and I have some drinking cards so we can play on the train ride. After the concert maybe we can stop by Kabukicho." he suggested, a mischievous grin on his face.

The suggestion earned him a smack across the back of his pink hair from Bon. "We aren't going to any strip clubs, Shima!"

Rin laughed and chimed in, unable to resist plucking a nerve with Bon. "Aw come on, why not?!"

Bon snorted in aggravation and shoved Rin, causing the younger teen to stagger to the left. "Maybe I shoulda had Niko come, just to keep an eye on you two." he muttered.

"Calm down," Shima rubbed the back on his head, still grinning sheepishly. "It was just a joke, Bon."

* * *

><p>An hour later a train pulled into the station, and out stumbled three very drunk minors. Shima could manage to keep his wits about him, so all eyes turned toward Rin and Bon. The two were worse for wear, haven lost multiple rounds of cards to Shima. Bon was managing a straight stumble, but Rin was all over the place, his tail swaying in large arches from left to right, and occasionally batting into Bon, who would attempt to grab it.<p>

Shima steered them toward the exit and Rin crashed into Bon's shoulder, a result of tripping over his own feet. His tail smacked against Bon's back, and the older teen took the opportunity to grab the offending appendage.

For a moment time stood still, Rin's hair raising on his body as he hissed in a sharp, shaky breath. His tail froze in Bon's hand, and his wild blue eyes turned to look at his fellow Exwire. Goosebumps rose on his skin, his heart hammering as his tail began to trash wildly in Bon's hand, desperate to gain its freedom. "Dude," Rin reached out and grasped his tail, below Bon's hand " Drop...the... tail."

Bon's eyes lite up, knowing and amused. "It's so soft!" he rubbed his fingers against the fluff at the end of his tail.

It took every bit of self control for Rin to control his shaking knees as he ripped the tail away from its assailant, yelping in pain. Rin's blue eyes glared at Bon, fierce and threatening. "Look here Rooster boy, the tail is off limits!" he warned, teeth barred, his tail snaking its way up his body to hide under his shirt.

Bon's eyes danced, chuckling as he thought about how cat like Rin seemed. Bristling like an agitated kitten, angry but just so harmless.

"Would you two cut it out?" Shima cut into their antics, grabbing Rin by the sleeve and dragging him off in the direction of the venue. The streets, luckily, weren't all too crowded yet, but Shima could tell that as the night grew more people would be out, seeking relaxation from work, looking to hang out with friends.

Call him crazy, but being out with two wasted exorcists (let's not forget the son of Satan himself) in a busy street didn't seem like the best idea. "Look," he pointed to the venue, a small building along a busy street with a line snaking around the corner. "We are here, just control yourselves."

Rin, unable to take anything seriously in the first place (let alone intoxicated), cackled madly at Shima's sense of urgency. "Bon, I don't think Shima got enough to drink."he said, his head lolling back lazily to look at Bon while Shima continued to pull him toward the line.

Hearing Rin's accusation the older teen wasted no time and jumped into action. A thoughtful look in his eyes was followed by him withdrawing the last of the whiskey from the bag he'd been holding." I know what'll fix that." he sang knowingly, unscrewing the cap.

The line of people was drawing closer, and as Bon put the bottle of alcohol to his lips a few people hooted and hollered, encouraging his reckless behavior. Throwing caution to the wind the normally strict and studious exorcist took two good swigs, then tried shoving the bottle into Shima's empty hand. "Here Shima, take a drink."

His pink hair shook as he gave a shake of his head, taking the bottle from Bon, but not taking a drink. "Once we get in line." he said stepping onto the sidewalk and leading them around the corner to stand at the back of the line.

He let out a relieved sigh once they were there, rejoicing in the fact he was able to keep track of both Rin and Bon, who were now chatting with a group of rather rugged looking adults.

While Shima was all about colored hair and a few piercings, but these guys took it to a new level. Large, bright colored mohawks, facial piercings, and their clothes were insane,with plaid colored pants, chains crossing down the back of their legs, and one didn't even bother with a shirt, despite the cold weather. How they ever got a respectable job was beyond him; perhaps in America, but never in Japan.

Shima rolled his eyes, wishing they could just get inside. He glanced down at the bottle of whiskey in his hand, opened it, and took a small sip, just enough to warm his throat. It would be warmer inside, he knew, but that didn't help the tediously slow line that was now making a slow progression into the building.

"Look guys, we are moving." Shima stated, looking back and Rin and Bon who were exchanging jokes with their new found friends, obvious of their surroundings.

Reaching back he grabbed onto Rin's sleeve and pulled him forward. Unsuspecting, Rin lost his balance and grabbed his Bon, who lost his balance and grabbed the shirt of a guy he'd been talking to, who grabbed onto his friend, and so the chain continued out of control until the line gave one large lurch forward. Everyone attempted to not trip over themselves, effectively pushing, shoving, or face planting into the person in front of them.

The surging crowd of people stumbled backward into each other, Bon and Rin crashing into Shima, who crashed into the person behind them, and so the chain continued until the line gave one large lurch backwards. Soon they became a rocking sea of people, all with the goal of reaching the door of the venue, but no one quite sure if they were to move backwards or forwards.

"I think I'm gunna be sick." Bon moaned as another wave sent them moving forward again, his hands rubbing his face in an attempt to sooth his stomach.

Rin was no longer in sight, lost among the moving crowd, and Shima stuck to Bon in an attempt to stay together. "Just don't puke on me!" he pleaded, trying to move both himself and Bon toward the street so Bon could hurl on something other than a person. The last thing they needed was a fight because Bon puked in the wrong direction.

Luckily they made it into the building before it became a pressing issue, both teens stumbling past security and into a narrow hallway, which could have used some TLC, in Shima's opinion. The carpet was blue and old, with dark stains splattered here and there, a few empty beer cans were crushed an carelessly tossed by a trash can, and the paint was chipping from the walls.

"Nice place..." Shima muttered as they roamed forward, following the heavy bass and promise of loud music. They stopped when they entered an entertainment room, which wasn't in much better looking, but who cared? They were there for music, and music was what they would have.

Large speakers lined the back of the wall next to the stage which was set in the back center of the room, pumping out music so loud it shook the floor, walls, and ceiling. The room itself was smaller, forcing people close together, and the stained hard wood floors were already littered with trash. Cigarette butts, empty cups, and beer cans had been thrown on the floor and forgotten. The bar to the left was packed, and the two bar tenders were bustling about to get drinks delivered as fast as they were ordered.

"Holy shit, this is a mad house." Shima said, shrinking back into the hallway for fear of being crushed by the steadily growing crowd.

"Fuck yes!" Bon yelled, grabbing a hold of Shima's arm, then plowing directly into the crowd, towing Shima helplessly behind. The music grew louder, loud enough to shake Bon's skeletal frame, and just before he lost his senses completely he stopped short of the stage where a band was coming on.

The people around them shouted, chanting the name of the musicians until all five members of the band were there, one the drums, one apparently danced, his face hidden under a white mask, and three singers, which Bon found strange. All looked older, in their mid 30's he guessed, and the lead singer had an outrageously cool punk style, his hair bleached white and put up in spikes, while this clothes were a more laid back. It was quietly radical, which Bon admired. On his left and right stood the two other singers, who looked so normal it left Bon wondering what was happening.

"You guys ready for this shit?!" the blonde singer yelled into the microphone, the fans screaming back in reply, a mix of confused excitement. Half the people responding to the leader singer, and the other half just followed along with the crowd.

Whatever song he played was instantly lost in Bon's brain, now haven lost Shima, his sense of touch, smell, and almost sight as the over whelming feel of the crowd and music poured through him.

The music made it impossible to focus on anything, as it was so loud, and the mass of people surging to the music around him made it difficult to figure out what he was feeling, much less where. Cigarette smoke hung in the air, people reeked of beer and liquor, and the lights from the stage danced around them, an overwhelming orchestra of controlled chaos. Much to his delight the best he could do was jump around with the crowd and loose himself in the rhythm, that for now, was life.

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><p>Meanwhile near the bar Rin had found refuge with the friends he had made coming in. In the commotion of the line he'd somehow gotten to the front and had been inside much longer than both Shima and Bon, long enough to see the opening band and experience that hell. His shirt was soaked in his sweat, his hair clung to his face, and he reeked of the beer that someone was thrown into the crowd. Once or twice he'd seen Bon, but just as quickly as he caught sight of him he'd disappear, and Shima was somewhere around, he was sure.<p>

Someone had offered him a drink, which is took happily, the cool feeling dripping down his throat and into his stomach. It wasn't until after he swallowed he realized there was liquor in it, probably vodka. Too hot to care he downed the rest of the drink, bid his buddies far well for now, and began to make his way back into the swelling mass of people. His venture was stopped short, however, as the blonde haired singer called a hush to the crowd, seeking everyone's attention.

"Look here, guys," he yelled, his voice booming out from the speakers. "I want a line, straight down the middle." his arm stretched out to enunciate what he meant, creating a divide down the center of the room, large enough to be a walkway. Rin did as instructed, siding with the left half of the room, inching back as the large group tried to pack together. It was amazing they managed it, seeing as Rin was sure a large percent didn't even speak English.

There was now a large enough gap to be considered a walkway, making a path from the stage to the hallway. A few hundred heads now turned toward the stage, awaiting instruction. "Look here, on three I want everyone to run from the left side," he held his hand up high and pointed to the left "and try and get to the right side." he moved his hand over to the right. "At the same time I wanted everyone on the right side to run," he repeated the same motion "and try and get to the left side."

A deadly silence engulfed the room as the man counted. "1..." even quieter silence, Rin could hear the people next to him breathing. "2..." Bon could hear the hum from the speakers.

"...3" the drummer slammed his sticks down onto his drum set, hammering out a painstakingly fast tune as the guys onstage jumped and ran around, screaming and singing at the top of their lungs. Simultaneously the silent crowd erupted into madness, the two sides crashing together like a wave as everyone tried to run toward the opposite side of the room. Rin took an elbow to the face and accidentally body slammed a person to the ground, and before he could stop to see if they were okay he'd been pushed forward.

Bon was having better luck as he'd only been shoved around, finding himself in one of the numerous mosh pits (luckily a smaller one), that he made his way out of. It took a bit but he managed to touch the other end of the wall, and panting with success he turned to look at the chaotic scene before him. The smaller mosh pits had now turned into one large one, and people were running around the mosh pit in one large circle. Occasionally a poor soul would trip, only to be shoved aside, either into the unforgiving mosh pit or out into the floor.

It was when the song ended that all hell really broke loose.

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><p>Thank you for the lovely reviews.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews : ) Jammies (Yes, that is my nickname for you) I thought about doing something like that, but then I came up with this, lemme know whatcha think.  
>Thunder, thanks, I'm glad you liked it.<p>

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><p>~*~ Bon takes on a demon, Rin gets the blame, Shima is a perv ~*~<p>

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><p>Bon's brown eyes glued to the now open spot on the floor, flames sputtering out of life around the large scorch mark that appeared on the hardwood flooring. His drunken brain reeled, trying to focus on the people screaming, the large black mass that was slowly taking shape, and the flashing lights that were still confusing his senses.<p>

The band had come to a screeching halt, the singers now absent from the stage, and as people began to access the situation the screaming and yelling started. Without hesitation Bon's hand slipped into his back pocket, his fingers curling around his wooden mala beads as he withdrew them from his pocket. Although he didn't see a demon it was a well developed reflex to arm himself as quickly as possible, just in case the worse should happen.

"Rin?!" he tried to shout over the screams and panicked people, hoping he could catch Rin's attention. If he was going to recite he needed back up. "Rin!" he caught sight of his friend, who was trying to help an injured man up off the floor, his face severely burned from the explosion that had been caused.

Clutching his beads Bon dashed over to Rin, slipping an arm around the victim to help haul him up. "Rin, we gotta hand him off and figure this out!" he insisted, but Rin only shook his head.

"No way, Bon. We gotta get people out of here!" They began moving toward the hall, where most of the people had escaped, save for the few who were too stunned or hurt to do so.

Growling in frustration Bon snapped his head back toward the circle where the explosion had taken place, and watched in slight terror as molten and ashes lumped from the floor. The ash fell to the sides as the molten solidified, crumpled, and then grew. First a shoulder formed, then with a haze of smoke, and a swirl of ash, a wing appeared. "Oh fuck..." Bon let go of the man they were helping and turned to watch as the thing hastily grew.

A feeling of panic began to engulf him, his palms sweating against his beads, his mind racing in different directions. Feeling himself loosing control Bon gritted his teeth, clenched his firsts and promptly did the thing he was best at; he sat. Cross legged, hands placed face down open against his knees, back straight and eyes closed.

Rin yelled at him to get a move on, but he remained still, taking in a deep breath, letting the sensation of breathing fill his nose, his lungs, and his body. With instant clarity and calm Bon began to quietly mutter to himself. "Molt and ash..." his mind littered through all the information he'd stored from his studies. "Wings..." his eyes fluttered opened, looking at the demon that had grow two muscular arms, clawed hands and cloven hooves. It's body began to solidify, taking on a black form as the molten cooled into black lava rock.

Heat rushed from the beast, filling the room, leaving the air dry and painstakingly hot. Sweat beaded at the top of Bon's forehead as he closed his eyes again, inhaling another breath of calm, completely ignoring Rin who had gone outside with the person they'd been carrying.

"Red jewel in the center of the head, gold arm bracelet, fire." the picture clicked in his mind. "An Ifrit." he nodded, self affirming his suspicions.

Wasting no time he strung his beads through his thumbs and around his hands, coming into prayer position. The demon stopped, cloven hooves clattering against the hardwood floor, its red eyes lingering on the lone exorcist who glared back with enough intensity to impress Satan himself.

A challenge, silently issued between beast and man. Not to be ignored the demon arched its chest out, molten dripping from the cracks on its body, siring the floor, and roared. A painful wave of heat crashed over Bon,the sweat now dripping from his face.

With a dismissive snort and a smirk Bon closed his eyes and inhaled. He'd seen uglier. "Again, as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, being devoured by crows, hawks, vultures, dogs, jackals, or various kinds of worms, a bhikkhu compares this very body with it thus." his voice was calm, almost authoritative as he spoke, reciting line for line the sutra with clear concentration and clarity.

The demon, not ignorant to its own death verse, was quick into action. Without hesitation it began a long stride toward the muttering exorcist, claws flexed in a threatening manner, teeth and fangs oozing lava that burnt through the floor like acid.

As it took the final step to approach Bon, the exorcist braced himself, the hellish nightmare of their Exwire exam struggling to embed fear in his thoughts, to disturb his chanting. Another deep breath brought another wave of awareness and Bon continued, unwavering. "This body too is of the same nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that fate."

Another blood curling scream from the demon filled the air, this time closer, stinging Bon's exposed skin. Long black claws reached out, grabbing for the young exorcist's face,only to grasp air instead. Red flames collided with blue, and through closed eyes Bon could see the rush of Rin's flames pass by his face.

"Fight fire with fire, you piece of shit demon!" Rin growled, his tail thrashing through the air furiously alight with blue flames. His body was engulfed in the satanic flames that roared with life, wildly dancing around his body. His nails had extended in a wicked way, the tips deadly sharp. On his head perched a set of horns, formed by two swirling balls of demonic flame,and below them were Rin's ears which had, still pointed, extended further and grown.

"Prince..." the demon moaned, momentarily stunned by the arrival of the under lord's offspring.

Rin, fangs bared and claws extended, wildly glared at the demon. "Prince my ass!" he jumped up and over the demon, landing behind it, then promptly shot a blast of blue fire at its face.

The demon roared with pain, clawed hands clutching its now mangled face. Chunks of lava rock and ash fell to the floor, melting away where the satanic flames has touched. With a quake the beast fell to its knees, wings drawn tightly around its body; a hopeless line of defense. "Tell my 'father' he'd better stay in hell." Rin spat venomously, just as Bon finished the sutra.

"Again, as though he were to see a corpse thrown aside in a charnel ground, bones more than a year old, rotted, crumbled to dust, a bhikkhu compares this very body with it thus: 'This body too is of the same nature, it will be like that, it is not exempt from that fate." Bon opened his eyes as the demons torso turned to ash, breaking off at the waist, its face locked in a grimace of pain as its body fell forward, falling to the ground, dispersing in a pile of soot and ash.

Shaken, sweating, and disoriented Bon's hands fell down into his lap, his eyes wide and wild. He could still smell the sulfur of the demon's breath, so close to his own. His eyes drifted upon Rin, who stood above the pile of ashes, blue flames still dancing around his body. Outside sirens could be heard, and it took Bon another moment to realize the place had been trashed.

Scorch marks lined the walls, there were gaping holes in the floor, a few bodies lay lifeless from the first explosion caused by the demon being summoned, and the stage sat untouched but wholly abandoned.

"Rin..." Bon swallowed thickly, trying to get a hold of his, now shaky, voice.

The half demon turned to look at his friend, his tail making a wide arch behind him, ears pulling back slightly against his head. A small hiss escaped his lightly parted lips as he looked at his friend. Bon had the sense that while Rin was focused on him, he wasn't actually seeing him. It was like seeing a person through a fog, or looking at a mirage.

"You need to calm down." his eyes squinted at Bon's request, but he looked down at his body and saw the flames. Without his sword he'd been forced into working with his demonic powers, unchecked and unbalanced. Something about seeing the demon attacking his friend had sent him into a frenzy, causing him to loose all control when he'd tackled the beast away from Bon.

"Rin..." Bon stood, having to use a hand to help support his balance as he got up off the floor, and shakily approached Rin. "Calm down. It's over." Bon stopped to look Rin in the eyes. The normally playful blue orbs were shrunk and jagged, outlined with hints of red that danced like his flames. "Come back."

Rin's tail gave another swish and the teen blinked rapidly, coming back to himself. His flames trickled and died down, withdrawing back into himself, and his eyes dilated and returned to normal. Slowly his horns faded away and his ears returned to normal, still keeping their tipped shape but resuming their human size. His nails too withdrew, leaving him to look normal, save the tail of course.

Years ago this would have led to a partial break down, Rin loosing himself like that. It had taken a lot of trial and error for Rin to finally accept and understand his powers, and forgive himself for sometimes loosing control. This practice allowed him to return to his good-natured since of humor quickly.

"Well..." he looked around at the partially destroyed building, running a hand through his black hair, pushing it out of his face. "Whoever those guys were sure know how to throw one hell of a concert, we didn't even get to hear Sum41."

Bon huffed out a laugh, amazed at how quickly Rin could change personality. With a quiet chuckle he slapped a hand onto Rin's shoulder. "Thanks for the back up, man."

"Well I wasn't going to let you turn into a human french fry." Rin grinned, blushing slightly at the praise.

Behind them a pair of heeled boots clacked against the burnt floor, causing both of them to turn and look toward the entrance of the room.

"I let you boys out for one night, and you burn the place down." Mephisto said cheerfully, swinging his ever present umbrella from his fingers. "Rin, I think you have some explaining to do."

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><p>They had been separated, of course. Bon with two senior exorcists, and Rin with Yukio and Shura. The bodies had been removed and a check written to the owner with the explanation that a gas leak had occurred. Stammering and furious the owner would never know why a large portion of his flooring had been ripped up, put in trash bags, and taken away in a black unmarked van, or why he wasn't allowed to review the camera footage, and for god's sake, what was that smell?<p>

A large group of pedestrians had gathered across the street, the closest they could get, and were watching, desperately trying to get an understanding of what had happened. False news reporters were hard at work, filming specific places they had been designated too, and reading fake reports handed over by a few fellow exorcists.

"A gas leak is the reported cause of the fire. The numbers of injuries is still unaccounted for, but we will keep you up dated with the latest news." he reporter was saying, which was a laugh considering they knew exactly how many people had died, how many had been hurt, how many had seen the demon, and how many were absolutely ignorant about the whole situation.

On the other end of the side walk, away from the commotion, Bon stood to the side of the building, his mala beads still wrapped around one hand as he recalled the events that occurred. The two exorcists were are cookie cutter as they came, black uniform, perfectly short cut hair, one with a gun to his hip and the other seemingly unarmed. So far they had been walking in circles with Bons's recollection, and his patience was quickly running out.

"Rin had nothing to do with it!" Bon growled, exasperated from explaining for the fifth, or sixth, time. "The thing just appeared in the middle of the room."

One senior exorcist jotted down notes while the other asked the questions. "So, there was no summoning circle?"

Bon shook his head. "Not that I could see."

"What about the tamer? Surely you noticed someone suspicious?" he pressed on, insensitive and uncaring about what the teen had been through.

Eyes narrowing and fists clenching Bon glared at the man. "The only people I noticed were the ones screaming and burning to death!" a few people stopped to glance over at them, startled by the commotion.

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><p>On the other side of the building Rin was having a much easier discussion.<p>

"You mean it just appeared?" Shura asked, leaning against the wall as she bit into an apple. Even in the cold she was still wearing her classic bikini outfit, although it was complimented with some jean shorts, for once. Her red and yellow tipped hair was pulled back into a lazy pony tail, but despite her thrown together look she listened intently to Rin, mindful of each word he spoke.

"Yeah," Rin looked to Yukio who was doing all the note taking, his glasses flashing a reflection of the police lights from the street. "One minute people were going all crazy with the music, then the next there was an explosion."

"Hm..."Shura took another bite of her apple and didn't bother to finish chewing before she asked he next question. "And you didn't see anyone?"

"Nu uh." Rin shook his head.

"It's possible the person got away before anything happened. Summon and run, makes sense to me." Yukio interjected thoughtfully.

Shura nodded in agreement, silently thinking the situation over before responding. "That is true Yukio, but that would only be more disturbing, because that would mean needing help." she explained, earning an inquisitive look from the twin exorcists. "Well, think about it. We spoke to security, and no one came in or out after the show started, so whoever it was needed another way in or out, and they couldn't do that alone."

Yukio nodded in silent agreement, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Sensi Okumura, Sensi Kirigakure!" both exorcists turned to see who had called them, noticing a man from a group motioning for both to come join them.

"I think we are done here anyway." Shura said, tossing the finished apple into the alleyway behind her. "Just do us a favor kid; lay low until all this blows over."

Rin's eyes widen and he pointed to himself. "Me? Why?! What the hell did I do?"

Yukio and Shura walked by him, Shrua taking a moment to tussle Rin's hair. "Nothing, but the flames and all, it'll be sure to stir the pot for a bit, 'kay? Just relax and chill. Once the Order reviews everything you'll be in the clear."

The two walked away, talking to themselves as they went to join the group of exorcists, leaving Rin to silently seethe.

He was furious with, yet again, being a suspect of something he had nothing to do with. It was so typical of the Order. Demon appears? Must be Rin. A teacher up and leaves? It was Rin. The milk in the teacher's lounge went bad? Had to be Rin.

Muttered angrily to himself he began to search for Bon, which didn't take long. He had been sitting on a curb drinking a bottle of water, his soot and ash covered shirt slung over his shoulder and his button down shirt completely missing. It only took a short glance to notice the light burns on Bon's neck and shoulder.

"Did the demon do that?" Rin asked, taking a seat next to Bon,sitting cross legged and hunching over, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Yeah," Bon took another swig of water before capping it and offering it over to Rin, who politely turned it down with a shake of his head. "His breath was hot." Bon explained, grateful that for, whatever reason, the worst of the burns were to his chest, shoulders, and neck. His guessed that his hair insulted the heat when the demon breathed down on him, leaving the rest of his upper body vulnerable.

Rin reached out and gently pressed a finger to the red skin on his shoulder, causing Bon to flinch away. "Dude, don't touch it!" he hissed.

"Did a doctor look at it?" Rin asked, brows furrowed together in concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Bon snorted, ignoring the concern out of embarrassment. He couldn't stand when people fussed over him, which is why he had turned down the healing salve from the doctors, unbeknownst to Rin.

"Rin! Bon!" Shima's voice called across the street and their pink haired friend came running over, cutting through a smaller group of police officers. "I couldn't find you guys anywhere!"

Bon squinted and gave Shima a distasteful look. "Where the hell were you?" he and Rin both stood up, walking to close the remaining gap between them.

"I ran out! That thing happened and I got outside! I thought you guys had gone out with everyone else, but then I didn't see you outside. By the time I realized you two were still in there the exorcists wouldn't let me back inside." he rushed to explain.

"Well, a lot of help you were. Rin had to save my ass, no thanks to you." Bon snapped, angry that Shima hadn't used more sense. Of course they hadn't left! There was a demon after all. Some exorcists they would be, to just run away.

Shima, ignoring Bon's attitude, leaned forward, and not so gently jabbed Bon on the neck, right on his burns. "Looks like he could have done a better job..."

"Hey!" Bon yelled and shoved Shima away, but before he could throw an insult into the air Rin was already snapping back at Shima in retaliation.

"Better job my ass, cotton candy head! We almost got burnt to a crisp!" he barked, poking Shima in the chest, the very picture of authority.

Shima smirked and resisted the urge to laugh. "Almost, Bon is two minuets in a tanning booth away from being a roasted duck!"

Despite the cold air Bon kept his shirt slung over his shoulder, the cool air licking his hot skin. "Both of ya just shut it." he yawned, quickly tiring of their bickering. "Lets go back to campus, I'm tired."

"Aww," Shima looked longingly over at the nightclubs down the street. Not having dealt with the demon he was still ready for a long night out, not wanting his fun to be cut short by their uninvited guest. "Bon, you can be such a party pooper."

Rin, smirking at Shima's never ending antics, tapped an elbow into Bon's ribs, mindful of his burns. " We can head back, Shima can stay out. He doesn't need a baby sitter. "

With an inquisitive pop of his eyebrow Bon gave Rin a questioning glance. "What, you don't want to join him?"

At the jeer Rin's face lit up, the pink hue of embarrassment covered by the street lights orange color."Uh..." he stammered to come up with something witty "No!" he blushed harder at his idiotic remark. "I mean, what makes you think I'd want to?"

Bon have a nonchalant shrug, beginning to walk toward the train station, and lazily lolled his head around to look back at Rin. "Just figured that kind of thing would up your ally, I guess."

Eyes squinted in distaste Rin stuck his tongue out at Bon. "Whatever."he turned his attention to Shima. "I guess just text us if you need anything. Want me to come back out after Bon gets back to the dorm?"

Shima shook his head and threw his hand up, giving a flick of his wrist, a careless wave of good bye as he turned his back to them, walking away toward the commotion of the town. "No way! I'll just catch up with you guys later." he called back, leaving Rin to shrug with indifference.

"Oh well."he said quietly, more to himself. So much for a fun night out with his friends. Leave it to the son of Satan to run into a demon on the night he was trying to have fun. He sighed, then turned to catch up with Bon who was still walking in the other direction.


	6. Chapter 6

Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, I hope that whatever you celebrate it had apple pie, because apple pie is !

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><p>~*~ Bon is stubborn, but not at much as Rin. Rin realizes Bon has pretty eyes ~*~<p>

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><p>"Bon, come on!" Rin's hand remained clenched around Bon's wrist.<p>

Along the walk back to the dorm Rin had insisted they stop by Shiemi's, their close friend who operated the local herb shop for most of the Japan branch. He was enlightened to this idea when Bon had bumped into a corner, and his skin had peeled off his shoulder, compliments to the fresh burns he'd received. It was at that point Rin had decided enough was enough, and began the long battle of attempting to get Bon some medical attention.

"No, Rin! I said I'm fine!" Bon yelled, clinging with his other hand to a wooden support beam that held the roof over Shiemi's front porch.

Although Bon spent plenty of time at the gym, he was no match for the thin half demon. His super natural powers weren't to be thwarted. Slowly his fingers slipped from the wood, until his nails made a last attempt to remained attached to the object, failed, and sent him sprawling into Rin.

The two tumbled down, Rin slamming with his backs to the wall, near by the door. Luckily Rin took the impact of the wall, Bon tumbling down on his chest, and despite Rin's soft shirt, Bon couldn't help the pained whine that escaped him, his burns siring with agitation and pain.

"Damn it, Rin." he hissed, shoving Rin off him quickly to rid himself of the discomfort.

"Well, if you would just stop being so stubborn this wouldn't be so difficult!" Rin rebutted, more than happy to tell Bon off (again) for his stubborn personality.

As Bon was getting his defense ready the light overhead switched on, causing both to look toward the door that cracked open.

Between the gap in the door Rin could make out Shiemi's green eyes, and a strip of her blonde hair that had fallen innocently into her face. "Shiemi!" he smiled, standing to greet her, ignoring Bon who was still making a fuss as he sat on the porch.

"Oh," seeing who it was Shiemi opened the door fully, reveling her pajamas and pony-tailed hair. As usual her small familiar demon was perched on her shoulder, the small Green Man squealing with delight at the arrival of their friends. "Rin, what are you doing here?" she asked, confused by his unexpected visit.

"Bon was burned, I was hoping you could help."he explained, stepping to the side so Shiemi could get a better look.

Her eyes, burdened with concern, looked over Bon's burns, ignoring his protests. "What did you do, step into an oven?" she mused, causing Bon to snort in retaliation.

"No," he grunted, "It was a demon. A big ass fire demon, and it breathed on me."

With an inquisitive look Shiemi turned to her Green Man, who was watching intently from her shoulder. "Nee, I need some Mr. Sancho, please." she asked, holding her hand out politely to her demon friend.

With a "Squee!" in delight the Green Man sprang to life, floating in the air as he flipped, strained, then grew a whole bush of aloe vera from his arm, offering it over to Shiemi without complaint.

Shiemi withdrew a small collapsible knife from her pocket (she had been gardening in her room before all the commotion started), and cut a large piece of aloe from Nee, thanking him once she was done. With another small chirp of appreciation the demon's arm deflated and resumed its normal, green moss coated, finger-less arm.

It had taken a while for Shiemi to become comfortable mutilating her own demon, but after so many times, and Nee never seeming to care, she could now do it without hesitation. She would, however, take time when no one was watching to water and groom him, trimming extra leaves and providing him with plant food. Secretly she believed this to be the reason for her Green Man's outstanding production of healing herbs and rich harvest foods.

While she peeled the aloe she eyed Bon's wounds critically. "If you'd have come sooner they wouldn't be so bad, but they've had a chance to burn worse. Didn't a doctor assist you?" she asked, carefully avoiding the thorns on the side of the plant as she stripped it and began squeezing the salve to the surface.

"Yeah, there was, but rooster boy here didn't take the help that was offered." Rin muttered, still agitated with Bon's childlike behavior, which was saying something, coming from a person like himself.

Shiemi stopped to glare at Bon. "You mean you didn't get this treated when you had the chance?!" a hand came flying out to smack Bon on the back of the head before he could stop it. "You do realize this is a second degree burn, and could get infected?!"

Bon's shoulders drew up together, flinching from the smack to his head. "Oh, cut the shit already!" he growled, snatching the plant from Shiemi and standing up. "It isn't like we haven't had worse. Seriously, you guys are acting like I'm going to die." he muttered furiously, stalking off down the long stair case that lead from Shiemi's porch, down the hill her house was perched on, and to the sidewalk that would take him back into the university.

Both Rin and Shiemi watched him sulk off, Rin crossing his arms and giving a small "Hmph" of frustration, while Shiemi's face steadily grew a dark shade of red.

Without warning she sprang to her feet, fists clenched, and began to yell at Bon. Unfortunately for Rin, Bon wasn't there, so to compensate she began to yell at him instead. "Rin Okumura! You go after him and bring him back this instant! He needs medical treatment right now!" he bellowed, her Green Man withdrawing into her pony tail to hide.

Rin scrambled back, putting his hands up as if to shield himself from her verbal assault. "Okay, okay!" he submitted, avoiding eye contact as he slid off the porch and sprinted down the stairs, leaving a fuming Shiemi far behind.

Once she was out of sight Rin let out a heavy sigh, relieved to be away from that situation. For being so sweet and small Shiemi knew how to put the fear of God in him, that was for sure. Luckily he wasn't the only one. Shiemi's motherly instincts were well known in the group, and everyone did their best to not be fussed over, including Yukio who was notorious for receiving Shiemi's lectures.

Ambling along Rin had just finished the walk across the large stone walkway that led back into the university, when by chance, he looked to his left and spotted Bon. Apparently his friend had taken a leaf out of his book, as he was perched on top of a roof that over looked a majority of the city, and university.

Glancing around Rin quickly noticed the small ledge that Bon had used to gain access to the roof. Not wanting to alert Bon of his presence, Rin quietly walked across the ledge, taking it slow so he wouldn't stumble, and grabbed for the pillar that he then climbed up to get to the roof.

He loved spots like this, as very few people could get to them, and by the time he was hauling himself up on the roof tiles his heart was racing, a mix of fear and adrenaline surged through him.

"Nice veiw, huh?" he announced his approach gently, arms splayed out to help keep his balance, taking small steps towards Bon as he walked across the angled roof.

"Yeah..." Bon looked away from Rin as he sat, pointedly ignoring his intrusion. Rin never could take a hint to get lost, he always had to push a subject until things seemed better. After years Bon had finally learned that the best solution was to just ignore him, or force a smile and act like things were fine. The second option never worked too well, though.

Unsure of what to say Rin looked at the aloe that Bon had carelessly toss away, and picked it up. "You really should put some of this on, you know." he mumbled, peeling away the thick layer of leaf.

"Whatever." Bon snorted, still pointedly ignoring Rin.

Gritting his teeth, Rin narrowed his eyes in frustration. "Why is it so hard for you to let someone help you?!" he snapped, finally growing tired of Bon's behavior. "For all the bitching you did to me about team work, you sure do suck at it!"

Now that stole Bon's attention. His gaze turned to Rin, clearly mad but unsure what to say about it. "So what if I don't want people whining over me? I'll heal, it'll be fine. Everyone else is complaining about it, not me."

"Oh yeah?" Rin's anger shifted and took the tone of condescending.

"Yeah." Bon said, cautiously eyeing Rin.

For the second time that night Bon found himself being smacked, only this time it was his shoulder that took the abuse. Rin's hand connected with a snap, his burnt skin flaring white before turning a darker, more angry red.

Unable to control himself Bon let out a cry, tears filling his eyes subconsciously, the pain momentarily paralyzing him. It felt worse than he assumed it would, the pain radiating across his back where his burns were, stinging and siring.

"You deserved that." Rin said coldly, crossing his arms and holding Bon's gaze that had now turned deadly. Oh, if looks could kill.

"Fine!" Bon spat, inching forward to sling his legs over the edge of the roof. "If you wanted to put that on me so bad, go ahead. But if you smack me again, I'm throwing you off the roof without hesitation."

Grinning, Rin stood. He walked behind Bon and sat back down, his legs on either side of Bon and his chest inches away from Bon's bare back. "It'll heal faster if you put this on. Hopefully it won't scar either."

Bon rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, sulking. "Whatever."

"I don't get what the big deal is, it is just some aloe." Rin smothered his palm with the aloe and rubbed it across Bon's shoulder, the cold liquid quickly turning hot, soaking up the heat from Bon's skin.

Although Bon would never admit it, the sensation offered immediate relief, much more than ice had. His body visibly relaxed at the sensation, soaking up the treatment with or without Bon's approval. "I just don't need help with this kind of thing, that's all. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, we all know that." Rin dismissed his withdrawn behavior with a roll of his eyes, glad that Bon's back was to him so he couldn't see. "No one is saying you can't take care of yourself, but when you let yourself suffer to prove to yourself that you're strong you just look stupid." Rin muttered, now smothering Bon's other shoulder with the medicine. 'Or at least lonely.' Rin thought silently to himself as an after thought.

"Hmph." Bon didn't speak, taking a moment to think about what Rin said before responding. "I guess when you grow up alone you just get used to it. It's embarrassing when people fuss over you." he confessed.

Rin's eyebrows creased together, more out of contempt than anger. "What do you mean? Niko and Shima have always been there for you."

Bon shrugged a shoulder and didn't answer, leaving Rin waiting with anticipation.

His attempt to drop the conversation failed, as Rin hated leaving subjects half finished, so he pressed on. "Do you mean, like, your mom and dad, and stuff?" he asked gently, no longer rubbing the aloe on Bon's skin, but instead just sitting there close enough for comfort but far enough to give Bon some space.

"I guess."Bon muttered quietly, his voice strangely void of emotion.

"I understand," Rin spoke lighter, as if the subject didn't bother him or stir feelings of unease. "When my Dad died I had to start doing so many things alone. I had Yukio though, so it was easier with him, but it was still hard."

Bon shrugged again, apparently thinking that single motion summed up his feelings, like Rin was capable of reading his mind.

Rin crossed his arms, frustrated. Any time a subject came close to personal this was so typical, Bon would shut down and act like he didn't care. Really, it was remarkable, his ability to seem so unphased, when inside he could be falling apart. Rin wasn't an idiot, though, and contrary to popular belief knew when someone was upset, and on a few occasions had run across Bon when he was upset. Up until now he'd just let sleeping dogs lay, and never pushed the subject before.

"You can be upset about it, you know."

"Upset about what?" Bon glanced over his shoulder at Rin.

"Your dad." his answer was blatant, without criticism or pity.

Bon didn't respond, looking back out over the city, watching as few crows flew down to a near by street, flying out of sight behind a building as they descended. "That was a long time ago..."

"So, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. It also doesn't mean that people don't, or can't, care about you." Rin spoke from experience, knowing how long it had taken him to let his friends help, even in the most desperate of times.

"I guess." Bon seemed done with the conversation, but unfortunately for him Rin still wasn't.

The demon stood and moved to sit next to Bon, squatting down flat on his feet, his knees drawn up to his chest. His blue eyes focused on Bon, so intense it was difficult, if not impossible, to ignore. "Seriously, Bon. I know you and him talk now, but that doesn't make it easier to deal with, and it doesn't mean you have to forgive him like nothing ever happened. Don't be angry at him, but don't be angry at yourself either. His choices had nothing to do with you, they weren't your fault."

This time Bon didn't shrug, or look away. His eyes starred off into the city lights, unmoving and unemotional."Doesn't it though?" his voice was quiet, almost a whisper. "He stayed away to keep me safe, or to try to keep me safe, anyway. He carried such a terrible burden, for so long, and alone."

"Hmph," Rin clenched his fists around his jeans, "Whatever. It is stupid to keep secrets from people, especially important ones. If my dad hadn't of done that he might still be alive, and if your dad hadn't of done that he would have been around more often."

Bon's focus broke from its stare and glanced over to Rin, taken aback that he'd spoken so harshly of his father. Although they had been friends for so long Bon had never heard Rin speak of Father Fujimoto that way.

"Either way it doesn't matter," Rin continued "I learned that people can love and take care of you, and you need to, too. It isn't fair for people to watch someone they care about suffer, and you know that."

The words cut deep, Bon's face softening. "Rin...I didn't mean it like that. I just don't like people worrying over small things. There is more important stuff to worry about."

Rin laughed quietly, the sound a mix of disregard and disbelief. "Not to some people."

Looking at Rin a few moments longer Bon was careful to stand up, offering his hand down to Rin once he did. "Let's get back to the dorm. I'm sure Niko thinks we've died by now."

Smirking Rin clasped Bon's hand and stood, meeting him at eye level. It was funny how the two had grown, taller but still the same height difference. Rin's eyes came just to Bon's nose, but it was a perfect height to notice that Bon's eyes were lighter than he'd previously thought. Maybe it was the orange hue of the city lights, but Rin noticed how they had a tone of honey color to them.

"Huh..."Rin's head tilted to the side as they held each other's gaze, Bon's cheeks turning a shade of pink.

"What're you staring at, ya weirdo?" he asked, glancing away from Rin for a moment to try and hide his embarrassment.

Rin smirked at Bon's bashful behavior, finding it amusing. "You're eyes are pretty. I always thought they were really dark, but they aren't are they?"

The comment only made Bon's face flush hotter, and he turned away from Rin. "I dunno." he scratched the back of his head, careful to avoid his burnt neck.

"Whatever." Rin rolled his eyes and began to walk across the roof, back toward the beam they needed to climb down, then the ledge they had to walk across. "I hope you have a key to the dorm. I really don't want to walk with you shirtless all across campus. Those girls from your math class might die of a nosebleed if they see you."

Bon almost stumbled as he lowered himself down onto the ledge, the accusation catching him off guard. "What makes you say that?" he asked, watching Rin's tail teeter back and forth for balance as he began to walk across the ledge.

Rin stopped and lolled his head back to give Bon a lazy sort of look. "Really?" he asked, eyebrow quirked up in defiance, as if Bon had just told a lie.

"Yes, really!" Bon snapped, trying to catch up to Rin, who in turn continued to walk at a leisurely pace. Damn him and his demonic tail, with his demonic balance.

"If I have to tell you, I guess you'll never know, Rooster Boy." Rin teased, stepping off the ledge and onto the large walkway that would lead them back inside.

Bon continued to pester him until they reached the door, and Rin continued to ignore him all the way back to their dorms. Apparently Bon didn't have his keys on him, so together they strode across campus, chit-chatting about random things.

Rin learned that Bon wasn't nearly as self absorbed as he had thought.

Bon learned that Rin wasn't the least bit stupid.

Rin understood Bon just a little bit better.

Bon understood Rin completely.

By the time they had gotten back exhaustion had set in, mixed with a tinge of a hang over, and before either could explain the night's events to Konekomaru they both lay passed out on Bon's bed. Bon had wrapped himself in his sheets and Rin was laying at his feet, his legs hanging off the bed as he began to lightly snore.

"Wow, must have been an exciting night." Konekomaru mused, receiving a dismissive wave of a hand from Bon.

"In the morning." he muttered, laying his arm across his eyes before passing out.


	7. Chapter 7

Reviews make my world go 'round. : )))

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><p>~*~ Bon takes his meister exam, sticks to his morals, and smokes a lot of cigarettes ~*~<p>

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><p>The hallway was quiet, the wooden benches that lined the marble walls were only half full. It seemed like their year was a small group, which wasn't a surprise, classes were never very full.<p>

Shiemi and Rin sat on one side of the hall, Shiemi the very definition of anxiety. Her foot was tapping gently up and down, her hands gripped each other tightly in her lap. Her face seemed to be carved into a permanent scowl, clearly feeling unprepared for the biggest test of their lives. It was an all or nothing moment of who would come, and who would stay.

Rin's tail hung off the bench, twitching occasionally in the air, as if to express its own unease. Bags lined his eyes, and when he glanced over at Bon he saw the same exhausted features. Pales face, sunken eyes, a dazed look and Bon's hair was held back with a hair clip rather than geld up.

Both boys had been up late studying; Bon reciting and Rin practicing. When Bon would need a break he would pick up a sword and duel with Rin, and when Rin needed to re-hydrate he would suggest demons for Bon to identify. As the sun had peeked over the horizon Rin had finally laid down, only to see Bon looking through a weapons books.

Just how long had Bon been awake?

The question troubled him, but not enough to ask and break the thick silence the hung in the air.

Luckily the large, wooden door at the end of the hall swung open, silently gliding on its hinges, revealing a senior exorcist. "Miwa, Konekomaru." the man called, and up stood a shaky, pale faced Konekomaru.

Bon whispered a "Good luck" before he walked through the door, it closing quietly behind him as if swallowing him. To make matters worse you didn't leave the door you entered, making it feel even more damning.

It had been explained before they had taken their seats in the hall. Once your name was called you were to go through the door, your test would be explained to you, and you would leave through another designated door, to assure you wouldn't pass along any information.

So far Izumo and Nemu had already gone, not that anyone cared much for Nemu. His weird hand doll could flunk-out for all they cared. Things had only been more strained with Nemu, and the gang, since Rin learned he was Angel's son. Poor Bon had blown a gasket, raging for days about how Mephisto was willing to bend over backwards for the Order, and how stupid it was, which Rin wholeheartedly agreed. Although Nemu was a great Tamer, it was obvious the professors allowed him to slack in many of his studies, which pissed Rin off to no end.

Either way, pass or fail, it would be nice to be rid of the odd kid and his stupid puppets.

Sighing with anticipation Rin stood, stretched his hands over his head, and plucked his sword from the wall it had been leaning against. "I'm going out for some air." he told the others, turning to head for the door that lead outside. His shoes made quiet footsteps against the marble flooring as he walked along the hall, hesitating momentarily when he heard another pair of footsteps following along.

"Mind if I join you?" Bon ask, pack of cigarettes in his hand.

Rin glanced back at him, saw what he had, then turned back toward the door and resumed walking "Can't blame you there." he muttered, opening the door and holding it for Bon as he stepped outside.

Winter was since leaving, making way for a slight breeze, one that wasn't warm enough to do any good, but held just enough promise that spring was approaching.

The trees still stood naked, but if one looked close enough you could see the buds forming on the branches, leaves and flowers in the earliest stages of birth. None the less it was still cold, and Rin slung his sword over his shoulder so he could bury his hands in his pockets.

Beside him Bon slipped a smoke into his mouth and lit it, inhaling and exhaling with a sigh.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Rin asked, hunching his head down into his jacket to protect his neck from the cold.

Bon shook his head no, taking another drag of his cigarette. "I got nervous about rifles, and just ended up in the kitchen with a book, and a giant up of coffee." he explained, ignoring Rin's look of sympathy. "Plus, if I went to bed I'd have just woken up more tired. No point."

Another exhale of smoke, another few seconds of silence.

"Did you sharpen your sword?" Bon asked, eyeing the weapon critically. Although Rin was notorious for keeping Kurikara in immaculate shape it didn't hurt to ask, especially now.

"Yeah." Rin slid the sword from his shoulder, slipped it out of its jacket and handed it over to Bon.

Cigarette wedged between his lips he slid the sword from its scabbard and took a moment to feel the edge, nodding when he was satisfied with the a snap he slid the weapon back into its case, then handed it over to Rin who slung it back over his shoulder after putting it into the soft sided case.

"You'll do fine." Bon assured him, pointedly looking away from him, apparently at a group of students passing by. For the normal group of society today marked the first day of spring semester, and the students were taking it about as seriously as a bowl of pudding.

Rin smiled, knowing that Bon was attempting to be comforting. "Thanks. You will too, I'm sure."

Bon gave a one shouldered shrug, opening his mouth to say something when they were interrupted. The door to the building flung open, and Shiemi's head popped out, her blonde hair swaying with another gust of wind.

"Bon! Hurry up, you were just called!" she stood holding the door open, ushering him in quickly with her hand, panicked he would miss his call. This wasn't something you wanted to be late for, after all.

"Shit!" Bin sprinted toward the door, flicking his cigarette carelessly away into the wind, waving back to Rin who had yelled encouragement as he took off into the building.

"Thanks, Shiemi!" Bon ran past her, down the hall, to where the exorcist stood, pin and clipboard in hand, waiting with a slight look of annoyance.

"Sorry..."Bon muttered, stepping past the man with his head held low.

The door closed behind him, and in front was large circular room with a wood table. The marble room echoed his foot steps, and Bon noticed doors lining the walls. All six were numbered with roman numerals, and one sat behind the table, unmarked but closed. Bon took them to be the test rooms, one for each meister, although he didn't understand what the sixth door was for, nor the one without a number.

There were only five meisters, right?

"Hmph." he dismissed the door marked with a VI and looked instead to the table that had neatly piled papers, and a female exorcist sitting behind it. Her face looked like it was forever etched into a serious manner, and her glasses flashed against the lighting in the hall as she turned her attention toward Bon.

"Suguro, Ryuji?" she asked, looking to Bon for confirmation.

Bon nodded. "That's me."

She pulled a short stack of papers forward and clicked a pen into use, jotting down a few things that Bon couldn't make out."Attempted meisters: Aria and Dragoon?"

He nodded again. "Correct."

"You will be using doors three and five. Once you are done with three, come back out, and go directly into five. Going into the wrong room will result in failure of your tests for both subjects, and if you leave the exam at any point you will be barred from the exorcist program, and Blue Cross Academy. Do you understand?" her voice was so strict it almost unnerved him...almost.

"Yes ma'am." he nodded, looking toward the door marked with a III.

"Very well. Good luck." she used the end of her pen to point to the door, indicating that he could proceed before jotting down more notes, now completely uninterested in Bon as she went back to her work.

Fist clenched in determination, Bon took the steps toward the door, placed his had on the door nob, and only hesitating for a second swung the door open, stepping through, then closing it behind him. He didn't know what to expect, but he surely didn't think he would be standing in a room full of every weapon you could ever imagine.

Guns, knives, axes, hammers, maces, bows and arrows, flails, throwing knives...if it was a weapon it was in this room, Bon was sure of it. They hung from walls and stretched down each of the three isles that stood in the center of the room. The gun racks lined the entire right wall of the room, and was littered with every gun, ammunition, extension, and accessory you fathom.

He smirked, thinking Rin would have loved this place. Although, perhaps with his curiosity, it wouldn't have been the safest of ventures.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Bon continued to take inventory of the room. Sweat began to form on his brow. He'd been told that the Dragoon position wasn't limited to only guns, but this was intense. How the hell was he supposed to know to study medieval weapons, for crying out loud?! Luckily he had done it, just in case, but still, it was unnerving.

So busy with taking in the overwhelming amount of deadly materials, Bon hadn't noticed the exorcist that stood in the middle of an isle. When the guy shuffled some papers on his clip board Bon's attention snapped to him, momentarily forgetting about the overwhelming selection of weapons he was faced with.

"Welcome to your Dragoon meister exam." the man held his clip board and pen in one hand, smiling as he extended the other for Bon to shake.

"Uh...thanks." Bon wasn't really sure what to say, but he shook his hand regardless.

Hell, he was still trying to get over the situation. Half of him had expected to be thrown into a room with a demon, given a gun, and told to deal with it. He certainly hadn't expected something so organized and formal.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" the man spoke in a chipper manner, one that degraded the severity of the test. "I am going to point to weapons, and I need you to name them, explain how to use them, and give me their strengths and weaknesses as a weapon. Understood?"

Bon nodded again, now understanding the point behind the extreme quantity of weapons. Although he would only be using a gun, it was still important that he knew the function of other weapons, as other exorcists would use them on missions. If he didn't understand another exorcist's weakness it could lead to a potential fatality. For obvious reasons he was expected to know their strengths, but naming them may prove to be difficult.

The pair walked around, down another isle,and came to a stop. "Can you name this weapon?" the man asked, pointing to one that hung from a wall.

It was an odd sort of thing, much like a spear, only shorter. The handle was heavy, made of thick wood, and on the end was a metal cube that had been created in such a way the edges stuck out at a deadly angle.

"It's a mace,made in the middle ages. Good for close combat, and when used properly can deliver a single, fatal blow. It is bulky though, and easy to loose control of due to its heavy weight. You'll get one good swing, and if you miss you're leaving yourself open for a world of trouble." Bon explained easily, his nerves slowly settling. Perhaps this wouldn't be so difficult after all.

The exorcist nodded, checked a few things off on his paper, and moved them along to a weapon that hung from the adjacent wall. Bon was relieved to see it was an easy object. "And this?" the exorcist asked.

It was a long, brown leather object. One end was fashioned into a handle, the thickly braided strips of leather tapering off toward the end, leaving a single, small strip of leather.

"A whip. Light weight, flexible, small, and easy to carry. The only problem is it requires a skilled hand to be effective, and if it breaks then you will be hard to find a way to fix it, possibly leaving you unarmed during a fight." the explanation came to him easy, his confidence returning.

Another nod, followed by another weapon. He was led down an isle and when he was directed to the weapon in question he starred like he'd just seen Satan. It was a look of wonder with a touch of frustration, perhaps offence, even.

"What the hell?" Bon reached forward and pulled the odd thing down from its hook. It looked like a dagger, and he was positive that was its main function, but the blade split off into three directions, creating an odd W shape. He pressed the two outer blades, surprised when they moved together. Curious, he pushed them until they clicked into place, forming a regular looking dagger, like Bon had first suspected.

Inspecting the handle he noticed a small button. Momentarily forgetting he was testing he pushed the button, looking much like a child attempting to figure out a puzzle, and was taken aback when the blades sprung apart again. Frustrated at the baffling weapon he gave it a shake, the blades rattling weakly as they wiggled from side to side.

"Is this a joke?"he asked, looking from the pathetic thing to the exorcist who was patiently waiting.

"No." was the short response he got, putting him back into testing mentality. Obviously this wasn't a joke, but the thing seemed so ineffective Bon couldn't help himself.

"Well, I don't know what it is called, but it is worthless. I will tell you that blades have a loose setting, the button would allow for it to be accidentally set off, it is off balance so you could never use it for throwing, and what the hell are with the three blades? Unless you fight a demon with three heads, this is useless." he explained harshly, aggravated at himself for not knowing what it was, and aggravated with the Order for owning such a stupid thing. He placed the weapon back on its hook, waiting for new instruction.

Without a hint of emotion the exorcist jotted down a few notes, checked a few boxes, and tucked his clipboard under his arm. "What will be your preferred weapon of choice?"

"Browning, 9mm semi automatic pistol with extended clip." he answered quickly. Bon had spent the better of a year sorting through and figuring out what gun he wanted. At first he thought about a heavy hitting rifle, but he quickly realized the disadvantage a larger gun would have. It would be heavy, hard to conceal, difficult to move, and only be good at longer distances. The advantages a pistol would have where never ended, thus explaining his selection.

"Very well, find that model in this room, select it and we will continue." the exorcist instructed, yet again throwing Bon into an unsuspected confusion. He had thought he would be given a fully functional weapon from the start, not be expected to pick it out himself as if he were shopping.

Again, it made since. What the hell kind of weapons expert would he be if he couldn't even find his own gun?

With a nod Bon set off toward the gun wall, and began scanning the pistols. It took a few minuets but he plucked the black hand gun from the wall and pulled an extended ammo clip from a near by shelf.

"Here." Bon held the weapon out for inspection, quickly getting a nod of approval.

"You are to disassemble and reassemble the weapon." the exorcist instructed, watching critically as Bon set to work, making notes as he observed.

First he checked to make sure it was clear and void of ammo, sliding the barrel back and locking it, then checking the barrel again to be sure. He then pushed the pin back, which allowed him to lock the safety, and once that was set pulled the pin out of the gun. Gripping the top of the gun he slowly slid it forward, successfully removing the barrel from the receiving part of the gun( where the handle and bullet camber is). He set that aside on a shelf and went back to the barrel, popped spring out, then the barrel where the bullet would exit, and the slider that loaded the bullet. All six pieces now lay on a neighboring shelf, waiting to be put back together, or cleaned.

The whole action took less than five seconds, and just as quickly Bon reassembled the weapon, clicking the safety off so the barrel out slide into place, and loading the extended clip into the gun before switching the safety back on.

Struggling to contain his look of surprise the exorcist took, and examined, the gun before handing it back to Bon, again checking and writing a few things on his clip board. Bon struggled to contain a smug smile, haven seen the same surprised look from Rin the night before when he'd dissembled a rifle in the same manner, and time.

"At the back of the room is a door, and through it will begin the practical part of your exam. A demon will be waiting, and you are expected to exorcise it with this weapon alone. In the event you become overwhelmed senior exorcists will step in to ensure your safety, however you will be asked to leave, and escorted from the building. Is that understood?" he explained shortly.

Bon nodded, and before moving toward the back of the room grabbed an extra three rounds of ammo. Together to pair walked toward the door, and the exorcist held a hand out toward the handle as if to say "You first."

Snorting in anticipation and anxiety Bon reach out, grabbed the door handle,and for the second time that day felt his heart stammer. The door swung open and he took in his new surroundings.

Again, he was surprised. Before him lay what seemed to be an abandoned temple, enclosed in another large marble room. The floor was grass, and moss had over taken much of the rotting wood that made up the temple. Shutters hung lifelessly from broken windows, and the front porch was in complete ruin. From a skylight in the ceiling trickled some sunlight, putting an odd,yet peaceful lighting on the old building.

His eyebrows creased in confusion, looking around for some guidance on what to do. Along the walls stood a few more exorcists, seemingly waiting for nothing, and offering no aid.

Knowing he was on his own Bon did the only thing he could think to do, and began walking cautiously toward the temple, careful of the rotten wooden steps that led to the entrance.

The door hung off a hinge, making it difficult for Bon to walk in, so he settled for peeking his head through first, not wanting to rush in and find himself in a trap. The building was quiet, save for the creaking of the wooden floor as he moved into the meditation hall. It was a large empty room with a dusty statue of Buddha in the center, nothing all too special. A few broken bottles were scattered about, and graffiti lined the walls, which was a shame. At some point it had been a beautiful temple, the rich wood added color and windows allowed for sun or moonlight.

Keeping his back to the wall he moved through the room, scanning every inch of the walls, ceiling and floor. The only thing he noticed that could be a threat was a large hole in the wood flooring, which dropped into darkness below.

"Hmph..." he stood above the hole, peering down while he mulled over his options. He could jump in, but that would be rash and stupid. He could find a way to light a fire and toss it down, but that risked igniting the old building and, more importantly, alerting the demon.

Wanting to think it over he left the meditation hall and started for the kitchen, finding it in worse shape then the hall. The sink was cracked and half laying on the floor, tables had since been toppled over, their legs victim to decay, cabinets were left empty and mice droppings littered the floor.

Still, noting unusual, so he moved on. The monk's quarters, the dining hall, the tea lounge, nothing was out of the ordinary. There hadn't been an attic, and Bon couldn't find any obvious signs of a basement.

Unsure of what to do he headed back outside, careful of the falling door and paced around, looking at the exterior of the building. He did his best to ignore the exorcists who were watching with mild interested, and as he headed toward the back of the building he found what he'd been looking for: a cellar door.

The lock had long been rusted away, and through a hole in the metal doors he could make out the very distinct, putrid smell of rotting flesh.

Bon wrinkled his nose in disgust and took a step away from the door, positive he'd found where the demon was residing. From the smell of it he was sure it was related to Astaroth, King of Rot, too.

"Great..."he mutter, feeling like he'd rather deal with another fire demon than a rot demon. At least fire could be dealt with, but decay and rot was different. It could kill the lungs, taint the blood, and cause unknown illnesses. Even for the most skilled Doctors rot demons could be a challenge.

Thinking and using the butt of his pistol to scratch his head, her wondered if there was a way he could find the advantage. Currently the demon had the upper hand, it was well hidden with only two entrances, both which would be closely guarded. The hole in the meditation hall, and the door, both offered very poor cover. As much as he didn't like it, the only solution he had was to rush in.

Inhaling deeply Bon sighed, lowering his pistol to his side. Making up his mind he lifted his foot high and slammed it down onto the door, the rusted hinges giving way, the door falling and sliding down the stairs of the cellar. In the darkness came a groan, followed by a slithering sort of noise.

Not wanting to fight blindly Bon took a step back, hoping the demon would try to attack, and wasn't disappointed.

After a moment of intense silence a large, sludge like figure shot out of the cellar and into the air, landing with a splat onto the ground only feet from Bon. The air filled with a rancid, terrible smell. Bon gagged and choked back a cough, his eyes burning and watering from the stench.

His arm flew to his face, a feeble attempt to protect himself as the demon rose, dripping rotting flesh that would regrow, only to rot and fall again. It's eyes were void, only consisting of black holes, and its mouth was sewn shut, although it boasted an angry pair of claws which dripped, what Bon guessed, to be poison.

Great, he had a disgusting rot demon and no fire to burn it with. Bon never thought he'd feel helpless with a gun in his hand. The demon wasted no time in attempting to slash Bon, and when it missed it shot a string of deadly sludge from its body.

Bon jumped to the side, the sludge burning a hole through the monastery wall. The wood decomposed and fell to the ground in chunks of grime and liquid ooze.

"Ugh, you're ugly and you smell terrible! Didn't anyone tell you that isn't the way to make friends?" Bon teased, running off toward the front of the building, desperately trying to buy himself time while he thought of a way to dipose of the demon.

Once or twice he hesitated in his running, only to fire a few shots at the demon, which absorbed them, seemingly unfazed.

"Shit!" Bon ducked back into the building making a dash for the meditation hall, then threw himself down the hole in the floor.

He landed hard on the concrete of the cellar below, his shoulder crunching in a sick way as it connected with the hard surface. Muffling a groan Bon shot to his feet, and listened as the demon moaned and growled, the floor boards creaking as it searched for its prey.

While he had a moment of quiet Bon began to configure a plan. He needed fire, that was for sure, and bullets weren't doing an ounce of good. He only had one round of holy water bullets, and while he knew it would be effective, he knew it wouldn't dispose of the demon completely.

"Hm..." he withdrew the extra rounds of ammunition from his back pocket, and starred at them when an idea struck him.

It only took a few moments to set up, and soon Bon was back out of the cellar and running into the building, finding the demon desperately searching the kitchen in hopes of finding Bon.

"Hey, asshole!" Bon shouted, gaining the demon's attention. Without hesitation it abandoned its search and lunged for Bon, its decaying body splattering to the wall when it missed its target, then lunging again for the entrance where Bon was standing.

Luckily he was fast enough to avoid the onslaught of rotten flesh and bone, and was soon pressed up against the meditation hall's wall, smirking as the demon rushed into the room, right in front of Bon.

Gun in hand Bon began to unload bullet after bullet of holy water into the demon, which stammered back with each hit, closer and closer to the hole in the ground until it it had disappeared under the floorboards. Knowing time was of the essence Bon jumped down into the hole, following the demon, careful this time to land on his feet. The demon was in the process of reforming after it had splattered in the fall, which was perfect for Bon's plan.

Bon smirked at his work and gave the demon and chiding wave of goodbye, unloaded his holy water rounds, replaced them with actual bullets, then shot the ground.

The sparks from the contact of concrete and bullet momentarily lit the room, but the fire that followed allowed for Bon to see a clear path out of the cellar. Just as planned the fire grew, igniting the demon that groaned, presumably in pain.

By the time Bon had managed to get out of the cellar much of the room had taken to the fire, the floor boards ablaze and quickly spreading to the meditation hall.

"Heh..." Bon watched as the fire grew through the old monastery, swallowing the building as its aged timber quickly lit and burned. He had to hand it to himself, using extra gunpowder from his bullets had been clever. Although he didn't technically use the gun to kill the demon, it had been the only weapon he'd used.

He turned to the exorcists, some who looked baffled, and others who seemed to care less.

The man who he'd been testing with earlier spoke up, walking forward, holding his hand out to Bon, indicating he should pass the weapon over.

"If you will follow me we will proceed to your next meister test." he unloaded Bon's gun and, after switching the safety on, then put it securely between his belt and jeans at the small of his back.

Bon followed the man to another door, which led to a narrow hallway, void of doors, windows, and only lit by a few candles that lined the wall. This place just got stranger by the second. It seemed to be a never ended maze of halls and rooms.

When they arrived at the end of the hall the door was already ajar, allowing them back into the room which Bon had entered previously, with the numbered doors. Remembering his previous instructions he quickly strode over to door five, pulling it open and stepping in, the exorcist still keeping stride with him.

In front was a large desk, on one side sat an empty chair, on the other side sat an exorcist.

"Please, sit." the female instructed, her long black hair pulled back into a perfect pony tail. She picked a pair of glasses up off the table, shuffled a few papers, then after placing the glasses on her face turned her attention Bon, who was now sitting at the desk directly across from her.

"Name?" she asked.

"Suguro, Ryuji." he answered, wishing they could skip the formalities.

She nodded in confirmation and laced her fingers together, giving Bon a rather strict looked. "Suguro, recite Genesis 8:1."

Bon shrugged and began reciting the request passage. "But God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen."

The instructor picked up her pen, made a few marks which meant nothing to Bon, and looked back at him. "In Theravada Buddhism there is a passage meant to be used for blessings, which, in turn, can be used as a way to create holy water. Recite this passage."

Bon grinned inwardly, another easy one. "May you be calm, may you be well, may you be peaceful."

Another moment of note taking then she asked another question. "You are confronted with a shapeshifter, kin of Azael. Name two death verses you could use to banish this demon."

Bon crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, thinking. Now this was a tricky question. Shapeshifters were notoriously difficult to exorcise, due to their nature they could change to avoid a death verse. Bon chewed on his lip, thinking his options over. Azael was an old king, derived from middle and northern Europe, which meant it would be best to go with something Gaelic or Christian.

"Psalm 28: 7-8," he said finally, after a long moment of deliberation.

"Recite the passage." the exorcist said, taking another note.

"'The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.'" Bon finished, then began thinking of the second scripture.

"You could also use a Gaelic prayer. 'There is righteousness there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. So let it be.'" Although this was a less practiced verse he still had little difficulty, finishing quickly.

"For the practical part of your exam you will enter through the door behind me and are expected to exorcise the demon that lay there, using verse only. Any other action will result in immediate failure. Any questions?" the exorcist asked, jotting down a few notes, then handing the papers off to the man who had escorted Bon in.

"Nope." Bon stood and walked toward the door, eager now to get it over with. The senior exorcist trailed behind him, slipping through the door and closing it quietly as Bon looked at the new room, which was empty, all except for a large wooden crate. The door clicked shut behind him and simultaneously the box opened, the lid swinging to the side and falling off the top of the crate.

Reaching in his back pocket Bon withdrew his mala beads, wrapping them around his hand,eyes focused on the box, waiting for the demon to appear.

After a moment nothing happened, then another second passed and still there was silence. Curious and slightly agitated Bon took a few cautious steps closer, stopping when he heard a splashing noise.

"What the hell?" he muttered, approaching the large wooden box. It was only a few inches taller than him, and he easily jumped up, gripped the side, and hauled himself up to get a better look. With one glance he saw the contents of the box and allowed himself to drop back to the floor.

"Really?! A Capricorn?" he scratched his head, not surprised when none of the witnessing exorcists responded. "May as well put a damn fish in a box, and tell me to cook and eat it."he muttered, thinking Rin would find that particularly funny, as he did have a good food related sense of humor.

"Can you identify this demon?" the senior exorcist asked.

Bon turned to give him a sullen look. "Really?"

What was this guy? Stupid?

"I just did. It's a Capricorn. A demon known to posses fish so it can plunder fishermen's nets and eat their catch." What a waste of time.

The exorcist wrote on his clipboard as Bon spoke, then asked him to exorcist the demon, which Bon lazily responded.

"Whatever."

He pulled himself back on the ledge of the box, sitting so he could look at the demon which was swimming in small circles around its small wooden enclosure. With the head and torso of a goat, and the tail of a fish, it was odd to think and watch such a thing swim. None the less Bon couldn't help but feel a small bit of pity for the creature, which was obviously unhappy with its current situation. Still, he couldn't risk failing the exam.

"Oh, great element of water,of the tide and of the seas, of the babbling brook, the gentle rains that ride the breeze, bringer of life; from the west you cleanse and sustain me." As Bon start to recite the old pagan prayer the demon became visibly upset, swimming with greater haste in circles, splashing up bits of water. It's goat like eyes widened in fear, and it rammed its horned head into the side of the crate, as if to knock Bon off the edge he was sitting on.

Unable to help his feelings of guilt Bon looked away from the demon, choosing to focus instead on the floor, or the wall, anything but the ailing creature in the water. If there was anything he had learned important it was that demons were living too, and not all were out to destory the world.

"In the storms you bring me your strength and fluidity, your flowing essence, and I humbly pray as I honor you in my life." the demon trashed harder and let out a wail, its tail flinging water up onto Bon's face.

The water began to have an acidic effect, steaming and bubbling, but not yet killing the demon. Bon still hadn't finished the verse, he had just one more line to go, but he hesitated. Looking down into the water Bon took a look at the situation, which was very different from the one he'd just encountered. This demon posed no threat to anyone, and typically was known as a gentle beast. It could be warded away by other means, and in the field Bon would have never chose to kill it just because it existed.

"Damn it." Bon sighed, his hands leaving their prayer position to clutch the edge of the box he was sitting on. "This is wrong." he said, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

With that he slid from the crate and put his beads back into his pocket. Standing there with his arms crossed, the water in the crate quickly calmed, aside from the gentle swishing of the Capricorn swimming.

The exorcist who was in charge of his test gave him an inquisitive look, a single eyebrow arched up curiously. "Do you forfeit this meister?"his pen was hovered over his clipboard.

Bon's eyes narrowed threateningly, and he glared at the exorcist. "I'm not forfeiting a god damn thing! This is nothing short of murder, and you know it." he spat venomously.

The exorcist scribbled notes down onto his clipboard. "There will always be jobs that you don't want to do, Mr. Suguro."

"Whatever." Bon rolled his eyes, not caring how insulting and disrespectful he was being. If that was how his work ethic was going to be judged then so be it, he'd rather be remembered for a failure than a murderer.

"I thought we all learned our lesson about murdering demons a few years ago anyway, or were you in favor of that whole massacre too?" he muttered.

Pen hovering above his clipboard the exorcist froze, going pale in the face, refusing to look back up at Bon. Recovering quickly he then went back to his note taking, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Bon gave a small snort in disbelief, knowing he'd struck a cord. At least he'd given the guy something to think about the rest of the day, and hopefully his conscious would eat away at him. While Bon wasn't much for petty head games anymore he still couldn't resist the opportunity to allow karma to wreak havoc.

"Follow me." the exorcist ordered, this tone sounding much less pleasant than it had before.

Wondering what would happen Bon silently obeyed, finding himself back in the entrance hall with the doors and the exorcist still sitting at her desk.

"Sit." she pointed to the chair directly across from her, clicking the pen she had in hand and holding her other, empty hand, out. The man who'd been with Bon relinquished his clipboard to her, and she looked over it, her lips forming a slight frown as she came to the bottom of the page.

"Mr. Suguro you have successfully passed you Dragoon exam, however you have failed to gain your Aria meister. Care to explain your actions?"

Bon shook his head once and responded with a simple "Nope."

"Very well." One final note was made on his paper, and the woman took a moment to file his results away. She produced another green folder, once which had an air of important, and a small forest colored box that was clamped tightly shut with a solid gold latch.

She stood and put the green file down on the desk, opening it to revile paperwork on one side, and a certificate on the other. "Welcome to the Japan branch of the True Cross Order, Mr. Suguro. On the left is your contract, which will bind you to the order for the next five years. Signs on the designated lines." She held her pen out for Bon to take, which he did.

It only took a moment for him to sign his name and initial in the correct places, and once he was done the exorcist took a copy of the contract, to be filed later, and handed Bon the green folder and box. "Please exit out of the door behind me, and refrain from speaking to any other exwires or fellow graduates until the end of the day."

Bon nodded in understand and with his box and folder in hand made for the exit, wanting nothing more than leave as fast as possible. The door led to a hallway, which took him outside near the back of the building. Much to his relief it was quite outside, and he wasted no time in finding a near by spot under a tree where he could smoke a cigarette, or two...or three. He flopped down, knees drawn to his chest, folder and box sitting idly next to him. He withdrew his pack of smokes and lit one, tossing the pack and lighter down by his foot.

The idea that he had failed a test, and not just any test but his meister test for cryin' out loud, hit him like a blow to the gut. No one would believe it had been his Aria subject, the one he was best known for through the whole school. Even the teachers knew he would do well. The taste of failure was bitter, and his thoughts quickly became sullen.

He took an inhale of his cigarette and sighed out the smoke, plucking a blade of grass from the earth and twirling it in his fingers. At least he'd done the right thing, and he knew Rin could be proud of him. For whatever reason the eased his churning stomach. Rin would side with him, and Rin would understand. Damn what some stupid exorcists thought, and hell, he didn't even know them.

Taking another drag of his smoke he looked up at the back door to the building, making up his mind to wait until Rin was done and came out. The last thing he wanted to do was go back to his dorm and explain to Koneko what had happened. He knew he couldn't handle the disappointment he was sure to receive.

Today was going to be a long day, and still in the back of his head only one subject continuously reappeared. Rin, Rin, Rin.

"Ah, fuck." he muttered, resting his head down against his knees, flicking the ash of his cigarette into the grass.


	8. Chapter 8

Jammies, I know it was something different. I have something planned though, so don't worry, it'll all make sense.

IDK, I'm glad you agreed. I just couldn't see Bon doing anything different.

Rainstorm, I know ^_^ *Squee* I can't wait for Rin to find out what he did.

Reviews make my world go 'round. Happy New Year!

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><p>~*~ Rin learns what it means to be a conductor~*~<p>

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><p>"Okumura, Rin."<p>

Rin looked up from the marble floor, grabbed his sword, and after a brief wave of goodbye to Shiemi approached the exorcist who called him.

"Hey." Rin smiled, walking past the man and into the entrance room where Bon had been only minutes before, unbeknownst to him.

"How's it going?" he asked the exorcist who had allowed him in, only to receive a weird look in return. Apparently a friendly attitude wasn't something to be appreciated during such 'serious times'.

"Okaaaay..." Rin followed the man over to the desk, where the same serious faced woman sat from Bon's exam.

"Okumura, Rin?" the woman questioned.

Confused about what he was being asked, Rin glanced around. "What?"

The lady set her pen down and eyed Rin critically through her glasses. "That is you name, isn't it? Rin Okumura, brother to Yukio Okumura, son of Shiro Fujimoto?"

"Oh, yeah, that's me." Rin said, a blush warming his face.

She held his gaze for a moment, then picked her pen back up and returned to her paperwork. "Attempted meister;Knight?"

"Yes." Rin was quick to answer, eager to make up for his previous embarrassment.

"You will be using room two. Once you are done with your test you will be escorted back out to receive your grade. Leaving the testing hall, or enterance hall, at any point will result in failure of your test, and if you leave the exam at any point you will be barred from the exorcist program, and Blue Cross Academy. Do you understand?" she didn't even spare him a glance as she spoke.

Rin nodded once. "Yes ma'am."

"Good luck." she used her pen to point toward the door, indicating he could begin.

Looking over at the door Rin took a moment to gather his wits before walking over. Not wanting to be unarmed he withdrew his sword from its soft case and sheath, just in case he was rushed by a demon when he entered. It had happened a few times, where he hadn't had his sword ready, and it had been knocked clear out of his hands, leaving him unarmed. This time, though, he would be ready. Only he wasn't attacked, but instead greeted by someone very familiar.

"Hey ya', Rin." Yukio said, a sly, knowing grin plastered to his face, and clipboard in hand. To his left stood Shura, who looked unimpressed with the situation, and rather bored.

Confused Rin looked back to the exorcist who had followed him into the room, then back to his brother and mentor. "Uh...hey...Yukio..." He glanced from Yukio to Shura, then back. "What's going on?"

Shura sighed in exasperation. "You didn't think the Grigori would let you test alone, did you?"

"Well...yeah, I did... I guess." Rin stammered, a baffled expression on his face. He sheathed his sword and stood, looking around with question. "So what, am I not fighting?"

"Yes, Rin, you will be, but there are special instructions for you." Yukio said, his tone sympathetic. "We have to test your flames before you test your sword abilities. Shura has set up a test for you. Pass that and you should be home free."

Rin's eyes narrowed in agitation, his ears pinning backwards. "Of course no one else has to do this crap, right?"

Shura let out a laugh, clasping Rin on the shoulder and dragging him to the center of the room. "Of course not, you idiot. No one else is the son of Satan. You're the one that burned down all of the forest, remember? You might be off the hook for the concert incident, but there is plenty of reason for caution."

Knowing he couldn't argue Rin begrudgingly waited with silence, watching as Shura drug out a large white bag that was overflowing with candles. Some were different colors and heights, others had a wick while some didn't.

As Shura began placing the candles Rin could see the difficulty he was going to have. There was no distinct pattern or order, they were just scattered everywhere; she even had an unwilling Yukio hold one.

Finally she came down to the last candle, and rather than setting it somewhere in the room she left, heading back into the entrance hall, closing the door behind her.

"What's she doing?" Rin asked Yukio, who only shrugged in return.

"It's Shura, who knows?" he mused.

"Fair point." Rin nodded in agreement, but turned his attention to the door when they heard shouting from the other side.

The first voice was Shura, who was obviously pissed off. "Look here Badly, we have things under control. Go crawling back to the Grigori like the dog you are, and leave the real work to us!"

Another voice followed, but quiet enough so the brothers could only distinguish that it was a male whom Shura was yelling at.

"Oh please, feed that shit to the dogs." he yelled again, this time sounding slightly calmer, but still obviously annoyed.

With a slam the door opened, the wood banging against the marble wall behind it. Shura stomped into the room followed by a very pretty looking man, with perfectly straight, long blonde hair, and a huge sword strapped to his side. His white exorcist uniform was perfectly clean and pressed, even his white boots lacked a single smudge. He walked with an air of importance, like a bosses assistance who knew they were the perfect gift to the world.

Both Rin and Yukio let out a quiet groan, only loud enough for each other to hear. Arthur Auguste Angel, current Paladin and notorious show off, not to mention just plain annoying. Not a single exorcist in True Cross Order found his company pleasing, save for the few suck ups who desperately wanted a promotion.

Rin and Yukio shared a worried glance, knowing how much Angel detested Rin, despite all the good he had done for the order over the years. Angel was a firm believer that all demons were the enemy, and as such should be exorcised and exterminated. This was certainly going to make things more difficult.

"Now, now, Shura." Angel moved his long blonde locks out of his face, and his odd little sword gave an audible squeal of appreciation, presenting the type of creepy that Rin couldn't get over. Thank god his sword wasn't weird like that. "The Grigori have sent me to ensure that Rin's tests are properly, and fairly-" her stressed the word, as if to show his lack of trust, " administered."

"Fairly my ass!" Shura growled, crossing her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes, then turning her back on Angel and looked toward Rin. "Just ignore Baldy, Rin. Now look, what I need you to do is light the candles I ask you to, nothing more, nothing less. Don't engulf them, just light the wicks, okay?"

Rin nodded, looking at his sword in his hand. He glanced around the room, looking for a safe place to rest it, and when Angel held out his hand helpfully Rin hugged it to his chest, eyes narrowing in suspicious. "Not even in my dreams." he muttered, finally deciding to set it down against the wall across from him, where he could keep his eyes on it.

Once he felt satisfied with its safety he turned back to Shura and nodded. "Let's do this."

"Alright!" Shura clapped her hands, eager from Rin's confidence. It had taken forever, but she was glad to finally see Rin comfortable with his demonic powers. "First, light all the blue candles."

Rin looked around the room, taking into account all the different colors, picking out the blue candles. No less than 50 candles dotted the room, and he counted 9 blue candles in all, each in different places and some at different heights. He took a step back, near the entrance door, so he could see all the candles, then focused his energy.

Previously his fire unleashed like hell fire, the demonic dogs of the underworld charging forth to engulf and scorch everything in their path. Now it was more like a lazy lion, powerful but calm, something that Rin could respect and fear, but still control.

The energy that surged through him pleasant, warming him from his head to his toes, until his body was ablaze, the blue flames gently licking his skin. His nails remained the same, and his horns were absent from his head, a sure sign that he was perfectly in control of himself.

Looking at each candle he willed his flames to stretch out, bits of heat slithering from his body in all directions, unseen by the naked eye, and unperceived by the bare skin. Once he felt the right amount of energy used, and the heat touching the wicks of the candles, he released more heat, watching as the blue flames sputtered to life on the candles. Another moment and they had enough heat to sustain themselves, so he withdrew his flames back into his body, proudly looking over his work.

"Very good." Shura beamed, causing Rin to smile in appreciation. It wasn't everyday his strict mentor gave him such obvious praise, particularly with witnesses present.

She made him repeat the exercise with different colored candles, then again with more than one color, and again, but only asked him to light them one at a time. All the work caused him to break a light sweat, but nothing that was unmanageable. Really he found it easy, and was surprised things weren't more difficult.

"Alright, Rin. Almost done. Now, remember that candle I took out of the room?" she asked. Rin nodded to confirm that, yes, he did. "Good, now I need you to light it."

"Light it?" Rin gave her a baffled expression, his smile now gone and his eyes glancing around in unease.

Shura lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "That's what I said, isn't it? Light the candle I placed outside of the room."

Yukio shot his brother a dubious look, which Rin took into consideration. This may be one time that the four-eyed-mole-face was right. It only took a moment for him to mull over his option, then he shook his head no. "I can't. I haven't practiced that enough, and I don't want to hurt anyone." he admitted, ignoring the feeling of defeat the threatened to change his mind.

When he was younger he would have hopped to the challenge without hesitation, but he was older now, and while he wasn't much wiser he did know a bad idea when he heard it. Without being able to see what he wanted to burn he couldn't promise anyone's safely. No matter how much he wanted to light the candle he just as easily, and accidentally, could light the exorcist who was sitting at the desk. That certainly wouldn't look good on his record...

Shura scoffed and jutted her foot out, her hip locking to one side as she gave him an aggravated glare." Come on, kid. Just do it, and we can move on."

"No, really, I am not comfortable doing-"

Yukio cut in him off, voicing his opinion on the matter. "Just give it a try, Rin. It can't hurt."

Trusting his brother's judgement more than his own Rin took another moment to think it over, only to shake his head again. He loved Yukio, and knew he was the smartest between them, but no one knew his flames better than himself. "No."

"Are you sure? You could fail, ya know?" Shura reminded him.

Rin nodded."I'm sure. I don't want to hurt anyone." Even if he did do what was asked, and hurt someone, then passed by some odd chance, he wouldn't feel right about it. The whole reason he was taking this job was to be the best, and that meant helping people, not harming them.

Shura's deadpan expression broke, and she smiled. "Good job, Rin. Let's move on."

"Wait, what?" Rin grabbed his sword, still confused, as he gathered with the other exorcists who had moved to stand by another door, this one held shut with heavy copper chains."Had that been a test?" he asked Yukio, who silently nodded, then pointed to Shura indicating he needed to pay attention. These tests sure did move fast, he felt.

His blue eyes drifted over to her, and she gave him a meaningful look. "Look, Rin. Behind this door is your demon. You have to fight it, and we can't help unless you get into some serious trouble. We won't let you get hurt too bad, but if you can't fight it off, and we have to save your ass, you fail. Got it?"

Rin nodded, unsheathing Kurikara and handing the case off to Yukio. "Hold that for me."

"Oh," Shura grabbed his wrist before he opened the door "and no fire. Sword only, hot stuff."

"Good luck." Yukio said stepping back, along with Arthur, Shura, and the other exorcist, allowing Rin to open the door.

As he touched the door handle the copper chains corroded away, he guess by the handy work of some magic, compliments of their Headmaster. Swallowing hard he turned the handle and opened the door, sliding into the large, white marble room, which seemingly was unoccupied. He clicked the door closed, trying to be as quiet as he could while he observed his surroundings.

The ceiling was closed off, and the whole room was windowless. At the other end of the room was a door, which also had copper chains sealing it shut, but that didn't have Rin's attention.

Lining the top of the four walls were large,square holes, as if boxes were meant to fit into them. Rin could think of no reason anyone would want a box 45 feet off the ground, so he starred at them suspiciously until a low growl came from one. A blue crack of electricity came zapping into the room, striking the ground only a few feet from Rin, and almost too late he realized that the holes were a sort of holding cell for demons.

Thinking on his feet he sprinted under the hole that the electricity came out of, hoping if a demon came jumping out it would fly right over him, and not be able to pounce on top of him.

There were pro's and con's to this situation, Rin figured. The pro was there were only a hand full of electric demons, which made identifying it rather easy. The con was what a pain in the ass they were, and how fast they could move. Not to mention the thousands of vaults of electricity but hey, he'd dealt with worse...right?

A loud, screeching roar came from the hole above him, and when he glanced up he noticed a white paw, cackling with blue electricity, barley stepping over the edge of the enclosure. The creature stood, trying to find the intruder.

"Oh, shit." Rin's ears and tail dropped, his sword momentarily falling to his side as he realized, too late, what he was dealing with.

Above him the electric demon jumped out of its hiding place, landing in the center of the room. Small, blue lighting bolts jumped from its body in all directions,zapping the ground around it. Large, standing as tall as Bon and weighing about 600+ pounds stood a rabid looking dog, its fur a beautiful glow of moonlight blue, but with a jagged and spiked texture, electricity sparking between its fur.

The yellow eyes of the demon bore into Rin, assessing if he was a threat. Apparently it felt he was, as it hunched down and began shooting lightening bolts wildly around the room, Rin screaming and dancing away from the spot he was standing to avoid being struck.

"Oh my god, it's a Raiju!" he screamed, clutching his sword in his hand as he continued to dance around like an idiot, only narrowly avoiding becoming a dead, demonic, french fry.

Over head a speaker clicked on, from where Rin had no idea, and through it came Shura's voice. "Don't dance with it, ya moron. Kill it!"

The noise seemed to agitate the beast further, and with a loud growl it began chasing after Rin. As it ran the cackling electricity that surged around its body grew, shooting sparks and bolts of lighting further, in all directions, until the demon became one large mass of electric energy, zigzagging and moving sporadically in the air after Rin.

"Holllllyyy shiiit!" Rin picked up his pace, and looking up, used his power to jump for one of the holes in the wall, landing in one with ease. He turned to watch the demon crash into the wall shooting sparks into the air, then resumed its dog like form.

Just how, exactly, was he supposed to kill something he couldn't touch? Without his flames, or any back up, this seemed almost impossible.

Before he could devise a plan the Raiju, who had been pacing the room, leaving scorched paw prints in its wake, finally noticed were Rin was hiding and, once again, was intent on tackling him. A 100,000 vault hug that Rin wanted nothing to do with.

Rin jumped down, back to the floor, narrowly avoiding the Raiju as they jumped past each other. A few stray strands of electricity reached out from the beast, making contact with Rin's right elbow and shoulder, burning away parts of his shirt and leaving a blistering red burn.

When he landed on the floor Rin clutched his shoulder, relieved he hadn't dropped his sword, and gritted his teeth. The pain was unbearable, but the thought of dying kept him sober and focused.

He scanned the room, desperately looking for some aid when he noticed the copper chains on the door. Luckily it caused him to remember a science project that had gone horribly wrong in his science class a couple years back, although it seemed that now, it would prove to be most helpful.

Knowing the demon was quickly readying its next attack he raced across the room, avoiding another dash of lightening, and ripped the chains from the door. Mustering all his strength he took his sword and, with a slight wince at the idea, jabbed it into the marble. For a moment his heart stopped, fearing that the blade may split. Instead the marble gave way,cracking around the blade that penetrated its perfectly even surface.

Snarls and growls caused Rin to glance behind him, watching the demon use its claws to climb down the side of the wall, apparently sick of leaping after Rin, only for its attempts to result in failure.

The yellow eyes locked onto his body, and he knew he was out of time. Hastily he wrapped the copper chain around his sword, and when the demon lunged at him he flung the remaining chain out. With a bit of luck the chain caught the electric dog around the waist, swinging to wrap around its chest. Rin held on long enough to ensure the chain was securely around the demon, but it came at a cost. The electricity surged from the Raiju, through the chain, and directly into Rin's body through his hands.

He yelled and was thrown backwards. The contact tossed him against the wall like a rag roll, his limp body sliding to the floor unconscious, his hair fried, his shirt sizzling, and the soles of his shoes had melted away.


	9. Chapter 9

~Rin almost drowns himself and Suguro learns Rin likes to snuggle~

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><p>The faint beeping of a machine woke Rin, his eyes fluttering open to look at the white hospital ceiling. Sluggishly his eyes shifted to the left, glancing from the medical equipment to the balloons and flowers that sat on a small bookcase. The air was stale, and smelt of cleaning solutions and lacked all personality; no fragrances, no incense, no cigarette smoke, just clean.<p>

A rustle to his right redirected his attention, and he was surprised to see not only Yukio, but also Bon asleep on a couch. Yukio had covered Bon up with his coat, and his brother was now sleeping, arms crossed and glasses resting on top of his head. Bon had his head tilted back and was lightly snoring, something Rin never knew he did. Even though he was asleep Rin could still see the dark circles around Bon's eyes.

"Nuh..." Rin groaned, finding his mouth too barren to speak. His tongue was painfully dry and swollen.

Making a feeble attempt to wet his mouth he moved his tongue, swallowing, only to fail, causing his tongue to click against the roof of his mouth helplessly. It was as if he'd eaten a hand full of hot sand and forgotten to spit it out.

Sitting up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he found a pitcher of water that was sitting on a near by food tray. Without bothering to find a cup he put the ice water to his lips and hungrily drank. The water rushed down his throat and into his stomach, which immediately protested the rash treatment.

Within seconds the water was back up, out of his body, and over his blanket that he hadn't noticed was covering him.

The sound of Rin puking woke both Bon and Yukio. Yukio snatched the pitcher out of Rin's hands and instructed Bon to get a nurse. Without a second of hesitation Bon dashed out of the room as Yukio set the water back down.

"You can't drink so fast." Yukio said, rubbing Rin's back to help ease the coughing fit he was in from puking.

"Can't help it." Rin sputtered, pushing the wet blanket off himself and onto the floor once he was done coughing. Luckily he didn't have anything in his stomach except liquid.

He looked back at the water and when he reached out for it Yukio took it away again. "Mouth is dry." he croaked, and indeed it was, his voice was so raspy it was hard for his brother to understand him.

Yukio gave him a sympathetic look, stepping aside as the two nurses came bustling into the room. Rin, although groggy and disoriented, noticed the True Cross pendants pinned next to their named badges. The memory of his exam flooded his thoughts, his heart monitor beeping faster as he began to panic.

"Rin, calm down!" Yukio pleaded as Rin began trying to ask a thousand questions at once, none of which could be understood. Had he passed the test? Did he kill the demon? What happened after he passed out?

The attempt at trying to talk sent him into another coughing fit, which was abruptly interrupted by Bon, who took the opportunity to thwack Rin across the back on the head with a rolled up magazine. "You would calm down, ya numb skull?" Bon said, pointing the magazine threatening at Rin. "Just give yourself a minuet to wake up."

"Mr. Suguro!" one of the nurses snapped, snatching the makeshift weaponry from Bon. Looking crest failed and appropriately scolded Bon muttered a sorry, although both him and Rin knew he'd do it again in a heart beat, only next time when the nurses weren't looking.

The looming threat of magazine abuse was just enough persuasion for Rin to sit back in the hospital bed, and allow himself to be fussed over by the nurses. One gave him a tiny cup of water, instructing him to sip it while she removed and replaced his soaked blanket. When he attempted to sneak a gulp she snatched it back away, scolding him for his disobedience.

While she handled that project the other nurse set his IV drip, ensuring it was properly hydrating Rin through the cord and needle that was stuck into his arm, right at the inside of his elbow. She also injected and needle full of clear fluid, telling Rin "He may feel funny in a minuet", whatever that meant.

Once he was done sipping his water Rin's eye lids grew heavy, and it took all his concentration to focus as a nurse gently took his hands in hers. It wasn't until then he noticed his hands were bandaged.

Each of his fingers had been gently wrapped in gauze, along with his palms. As the nurse began to unwrap each finger the stinging sensation was numbed to a tingle, presumably from the medication he'd been given. It felt odd, like someone was pulling at his skin. A part of his mind knew it should be in pain, but it seemed unable to force the feeling through Rin's body.

"You have pretty bad burns, Rin." one of the nurses told him, gingerly pulling the padding from the palm of his right hand. Everything seemed to slow, and he began to feel like he was moving through water.

When she removed his bandages Rin saw she wasn't exaggerating, the burns were extensive, to the point that Rin had to look away. His metacarpal bone was exposed, and his muscles were bare to the world. When the hospital air hit his wound he felt his stomach give another lurch, his nerves reacting to the cold. The skin around it had been surgically removed, making way for new skin to grow faster.

"Can you move your fingers?" the nurse asked, waiting to wrap his hands back up.

Not wanting to look back at his hand he attempted to move his fingers, managing a twitch which caused him discomfort.

"Good." the nurse praised him calmly, setting to the task of re-wrapping his hands while the other nurse checked his vitals and recorded them down on paper.

The same process was repeated with his other hand, which looked worse. His other hand had more burning, but it wasn't as deep, and the clear patter of the chain was burnt into his palms. The heat from the electricity it had melted his skin away, burning past the flesh and muscle. Unlike his right hand he couldn't move his fingers, something that disheartened him, and which the nurse had no reply. He also found much of his feeling was gone up to his elbow.

"We'll be back in a few hours to give you more medicine, and water. Your IV was fixed though, so you shouldn't get dehydrated again." she said with a pleasant, warm smile. Something about her assurance made Rin believe he would really be alright, despite his current state. He wondered if she spoke to everyone this way, or if she truly meant it.

Yukio, and Bon thanked the two ladies who exited the room quietly, leaving Rin to lay in bed, zoning in and out of consciousness. He desperately wanted to ask about his test, and Bon's too, but he found his mouth too heavy to move, and his chest too heavy to fill with air to speak.

Noises began to form odd sounds in his head, and when he lifted his arm to reach for some more water he was unable to move. Had he been more clear headed he would have panicked at the lack of control he had over himself, but instead he was pleasantly calm, almost lethargic.

Feeling drowsy Rin closed his eyes, catching fragments of Bon and Yukio talking as he faded in and out of sleep.

"-Stay with him...Grigori...report-" It was Yukio, he was almost sure.

Then Bon, "Yeah...long as you need...handle it"

Rin struggled to move his head over, opening his eyes a sliver, trying to fight off the sleep that was attempting to posses him. Bon was standing in a long sleeved shirt, and a pair of sweat shorts. Yukio had his jacket back on and was holding something out to Bon. A phone? A card? Keys? He didn't know.

Yukio said something, and began walking toward the door with Bon. "-Don't hesitated, really." he was saying, then Rin closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

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><p>Hours later Rin woke again, momentarily forgetting where he was, until he saw Bon watching TV from the couch. His head was tilted up, eyes fixed on the small television that hung from the corner of the ceiling in the room. The news was on, reporting all manner of useless things, which Rin promptly ignored.<p>

As the nurses had promised his mouth was feeling much better, enough that he could talk,although his tongue was still slightly swollen.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep and heavy with medication.

Bon, who hadn't realized Rin was awake, jumped slightly in his seat, startled by Rin's interruption. Unknown to Rin, the nap he had taken earlier was the first time he'd slept in days, which left him anxious and jumpy. Still, he forced a smile when he spoke to Rin, not wanting to concern him.

"You exploded, pretty much." Bon said with a hoarse laugh.

Rin, too high on pain killers to find the humor, just gave Bon a blank stare.

"The demon you were fighting electrocuted you." Bon explained, realizing that Rin wasn't able to process any morbid humor at the moment. "I'd say a million or so vaults ran through you. It would kill any person, so I guess, for once, being half demon was a good thing."

He stood to stand by Rin, not wanting Rin to strain himself trying to speak.

Rin gave a surprised shrug of his eyebrows. Well, that explained the burns, anyway. "What about the test?" he asked, the heart monitor reflected his anxiety again.

"Well," Bon left the side of Rin's bed, going over to the bookcase and picking up a green file and a small, wooden box. "Shura stopped by yesterday, she told Yukio to give this to you, when you woke up." he explained returning to Rin's side, setting the objects in his lap. "But, since Yukio left me in charge, I suppose that task has been passed to me."

Rather than attempt to open the box Rin looked up at Bon with a confused expression. "Yesterday?" he asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

Bon gave a one shouldered shrug, trying to act indifferent to the situation. "Two days, nothing too big."

"Two days?" If Rin was strong enough to yell, he would have, instead his surprise came out as a weak croak. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever been bed ridden. Not through all the broken bones, the many times he'd fallen out of trees, the weird things he'd eaten, or even the time he'd fallen from the roof trying to retrieve Yukio's ball when he was seven.

"Cool it, would ya?" Bon said, trying to figure out how to sooth Rin. It wasn't his strong point, that was for sure. "Everyone knows what happened. Just open the box, thick head."

With a deadpan expression Rin held up his bandaged hands. "Great idea there, Skunk Boy."

"Oh please, don't give me that crap." Bon snorted. "You can move your right fingers, and the nurses said you need to if you ever want to use them again."

"Whatever." Rin muttered, using his left hand to hold the box still while he attempted to fiddle with the box. It took a few agonizing minuets, and Bon almost gave in and did it for him, but by then it had become a personal challenge.

"No, I got it!" Rin hissed, moving the box out of Bon's reach when he tried to help. Using his bandages to move the small latch it finally flipped up, and Rin was able to lift the lid.

Nestled in blue cloth was the True Cross pendant, which had a sterling silver chain attached. He smiled, his eyes alight with pride and surprise. Shura had known he'd wanted a necklace, not a pendant, and he thought it heartwarming she'd remembered, especially since she always seemed so detached. That fact made it all the more meaningful to Rin.

"Wow!" he lifted the necklace from the box and slid it over his neck, delighted even further when it he saw it sat low on his chest, almost down to his stomach, just like his father's had. He'd never mentioned that he'd wanted it that length; for whatever reason it had felt like a childish secret, but somehow Shura had known.

He looked over to Bon, inspecting him for his own pendant, but his smile fell when he didn't see one. "Where's yours?"

"Back in the dorm, I didn't feel like wearing it." Bon muttered, pulling up a chair so he could sit by Rin.

"Why not?" Rin asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. Something didn't feel right, Bon had been after that pendant for years. A symbol of dedication and hard work, no exorcist would be caught without it. Not to mention it allowed instant access to numerous privileges, but that didn't matter at the moment.

Bon sighed, looking at the floor. " I didn't pass my Aria exam." he mumbled, almost quiet enough to go unheard, his face burning with defeat.

They were both silent, Rin in shock, and Bon in disappointment. Unknown to Rin was Bon's second motivation for his extended hospital visit. So far he'd manged to escape all interaction with anyone else, stealthy dodging Konekomaru and Shima, who seemed to try and corner him any time they saw him. The hospital offered nice refuge from the outside world, which he needed right now. He was too ashamed to face anyone yet, save for one person.

After his test he'd sat outside for hours, waiting for Rin. It wasn't until all the other students exited the building that Bon had taken a peek back into the waiting area, only to find it empty. Upon further investigation he found the testing rooms empty as well, at which point he text Yukio. His first instinct was to be suspicious something had gone array, worried perhaps the Grigori had done something. He could still recall the feeling of despair when he'd received a text back, explaining where Rin was.

The first day he'd remained at the hospital, even when Yukio told him he could leave. He didn't know why, but he felt like he had a responsibility to stay. Maybe it was because he knew Rin was used to facing things alone, or maybe it was because he felt like he owed Rin, for all the times Rin had saved his ass. Or maybe, just maybe, he felt something deeper, a worry and ache in his chest that caused him to protectively look over Rin. Never mind the nasty attitude he had when Angel came to pay Rin a "concerned visit".

It was only when Yukio insisted Bon go shower and change that he'd left for an hour, long enough to bathe, put his pendant and folder away, and change. He didn't even stop to smoke, instead smoking as he walked back to the hospital.

"You...didn't...pass?" Rin was dumbfounded, like he'd just been slapped, bringing Bon back from his silent brooding.

Bon shook his head. "Nope."

Rin laid back in his bed, leaving his empty box and folder resting in his lap, now ignored. "What happened?" he asked, knowing there had to be one hell of an explanation.

Bon sighed heavily, leaning back in his seat, now looking at Rin. Feeling subconscious about his failure he crossed his arms over his chest and hesitated before explaining. "They wanted me to exorcise a Capricorn they had caught and shoved in a box." his eyes fell to the floor. "I couldn't do it."

Rin starred blankly at Bon, trying to grasp the situation. "A Capricorn? Isn't that a water demon? Half goat, half fish?" he asked, wanting to be sure he understood.

A nod of confirmation had Rin frowning, trying to understand why the Order would do that. "That doesn't make sense. They aren't even violent."

"I know." Bon looked up, relieved that Rin wasn't judging him for his choice, or trying to reproach him. "You should have seen it when I started to recite it's death verse, it was really bad."

Rin's frown turned from one of disdain to one of compassion, his expression relaxing as he looked at Bon.

Bon, who was so sure footed, hot headed,and confident. It was hard to believe he'd thrown away years of work, and for demon at that. Still, it was just another example of how things had changed. Rin smirked inwardly, forcing himself to hide the swelling pride he had for Bon.

Leave it to Bon to feel like he'd done something to be ashamed of, when indeed he'd done something commendable. "You really didn't do it, huh?" Rin whispered, just loud enough for Bon to hear.

"Yeah. I stopped one line short." Bon looked back down, sniffing hard as if he were about to get emotional.

"Well, good for you." Rin snapped, causing Bon to glance back up. "Fuck them." he took the pendant off of his neck and tossed it back into the box,slamming the lid shut. "If they expect us to make choices like that, even after what happened with the Egin fiasco, then screw them."

"Ugh!" Bon's eyes widened in shock as Rin picked the folder and box up, setting it off to the side on his food tray, seemingly to be forgotten. "Don't be rash. I still made Dragoon."

"So what?" Rin settled back into bed, shoving his wrapped hands under the blankets to keep warm."Murder is murder, and I'm not a part of that."

Although Rin was acting immature Bon couldn't help feel his heart swell. It was incredible how moral Rin was, and ironic considering he was part demon. Bon knew Rin would give up the world just to do the right thing, and like hell if he ever had the right to call him stubborn. That would be worse than calling the kettle black.

The feeling of appreciation made him smile, a warm genuine smile that was rare on his face. "You're stoned on painkillers, and don't know what you're talking about. Go to bed and we'll talk about it again later, yeah?" Bon smirked, trying to hide his growing fondness his satanic friend.

Now that Bon mentioned it, Rin was feeling pretty groggy again. Before he fell asleep, though, he had another important matter to tend to. "When was the last time you slept?" he asked, voice thick with accusation. It was more of a "You're busted" statement than a question, and Bon knew he wasn't going to be able to talk himself out of the situation.

"Since before the exams..." Bon confessed, not having more to say for himself. He was exhausted and edgy, and to make matters worse he hadn't been able to mediate either.

Rin wiggled around, making room for Bon on the small hospital bed. "Get in." Rin commanded, moving an extra pillow over for Bon too.

"What?" Bon starred at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Don't give me that!" Rin snapped, not leaving the subject open for debate. "Get in. I know you won't move and wake me up, and it'll be more comfortable than the couch."

"Yeah, but won't that be, like, weird?" Bon asked cautiously, worried someone may come in a get the wrong idea.

Rin frowned,scolding Bon with his eyes. "Weird like what?" he asked, his tone dangerous, daring Bon to continue the conversation.

Bon, and all his friends, knew he didn't appreciate, or approve, of any sort of discrimination toward sexual preference. Rin didn't mind sharing a bed with someone, especially a friend, regardless of whom ever may see. He never did care much for what people thought, especially if they weren't important to him. Just because he had been fried by a lightening demon didn't mean that had changed any.

"Nothing." Bon quickly conceded, standing up from the chair to slid in bed next to Rin.

A few minuets of awkward silence followed, but when Bon went to crack a joke he looked over to find Rin dead asleep, his head lolled to the side and his breathing was in a deep, heavy rhythm. Bon watched him for a few moments, his head abuzz with different thoughts, then pulled the blanket over Rin's chest, worried he'd catch cold. With his body attempting to heal his immune system was hard at work, and it didn't need to be compromised further by cold air.

As he was getting ready to settle down himself he stopped, looking over at the True Cross pendant that was sticking out of the box. Careful to not disturb Rin he reached over, grabbed the pendant, then slid it back over Rin's neck, the pendant resting on the outside of his blanket. "Silly Baka." he muttered, resting on the bed, propping his arm under his head.

He'd been awake for so long Bon's mind had difficulty turning off, but when he was finally drifting into sleep Rin rolled over, wrapping an arm and leg around Bon's body, hugging him like a body pillow. His skin crawled when Rin's tail wrapped it's self around his leg, the tuff at the end tickling his thigh gently. A small smile tugged at his lips as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you again for all the lovely reviews.  
>Jammies, go get yerself a cup of water and lay yo' butt down! You silly drunkard (said in a Monty Python accent)! : P<br>IDK, thanks for your encouragement.  
>Panda of Death, I love the screen name, it is truly epic.<p>

**Due to a complaint I've taken the previous chapter down**, which I may or may not put back up. Just a heads up to everyone, this is a rated M story, so please keep that in mind as you read.

Enjoy : )

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><p>~Bon gets hit on, the boys become homeless, and Rin has a mild panic attack~<p>

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><p>The next morning Bon woke early, which was to be expected considering his typical morning routines. Every day it was the same. 5:30 am the alarm went off, 5:45 he was out the door for an hour jog, 6:45 he was in the shower, 7:00 was set aside for hair styling, and finally at 7:15 he'd had breakfast and really start the day. Of course, he'd leave time for morning meditation, too. Without that moment of peace and calm he'd be grumpy the rest of the day... till noon meditation, anyway.<p>

It was this consistent schedule that had him stretching, now laying on the couch. After his dream he couldn't bring himself to get in bed next to Rin, half out of fear for having another dream, and half for denial of his new interest in his friend.

He couldn't believe he was falling for Rin, it was an outrageous idea. Just a few months ago things were fine, they were predictable and comfortable. Rin was annoying, Bon was frustrated. Rin was illogical, Bon was over logical. Rin didn't care, Bon cared too much. Both had tempers to match. It was an odd relationship, but it worked in its own way.

Despite the punches that had been thrown, the words that had been shouted and the insults that had been exchanged they knew it was all forgiven. No matter what situation they were in they had each other's back, through thick and thin.

Rin defended him when he was fighting the Impure King, helped him find and move the lantern for their training camp, and helped him with the demon they'd recently encountered. So many things, and more. It wasn't to be mistaken, though, Bon had helped Rin plenty.

He'd fixed Kurikara, stood up to Amaimon, helped Rin pass tests and study his sword work, not to mention the time he'd helped Usamaro during the New Year's festival. Let's not forget standing up to Satan himself, all while assisting in the evacuation of Blue Cross Academy. They both had paid their dues, and there was no going back. No matter what happened he was sure they would be friends forever.

Bon slung his arm over his eyes, thinking of all the things they had been through together. Hell, even when he'd been absolutely malicious to Rin in their first year Rin still wanted to be friends. It didn't make any sense to Bon, but he was grateful that they had worked things out.

Letting out a heavy sigh he moved his arm and sat up, looking over at Rin who was twisted up in his blankets and sheets, hair a mess and drool running down the corner of his lip.

Bon smirked, amused. About the only thing Rin seemed really, really good at doing was sleeping…and kicking major demon ass (he would never tell Rin that, though).

Running his hands through his hair, pushing his mohawk out of his face, he stood up and stretched. If he wasn't going to jog he figured he may as well make it down to the cafeteria for some coffee, or tea if they had it. At least that would give him something to do while Rin woke up, if he ever did.

He slid on his shoes and made for the door, reaching for the handle then stopping abruptly. Behind him he heard Rin rouse, turning in the bed then yawning.

"Where you goin'?"he mumbled to Bon, his eyes full of sleep and half open.

Bon stopped, hand on the door knob and turned to look at Rin. "Just to get come coffee." He explained. "Want any?"

Rin shook his head no and pulled his blankets back up to his chin. If Bon had been less observant he would have missed Rin's fingers wiggle to grab the blanket, then clutch and pull them up. Luckily that wasn't the situation, and he did notice the action.

"Hey, your hands…" he mused quietly, letting go of the door knob and walking over toward Rin.

Still half asleep Rin grumbled something inaudible and tried to roll over, but failed when Bon gently took ahold of his bandaged left hand.

"Wake up, baka." he shook Rin's shoulder softly with his free hand, Rin opening his eyes sluggishly in response.

"What?" he mumbled, trying to take his hand back but failing when Bon grasped it harder.

"Look." Bon held Rin's hand up, the orange lights from the street giving just enough light so Rin could see what Bon had noticed.

The scabbed skin had healed, and all that was left on his fingertips was soft, fresh skin. It looked like Rin had just recovered from a mild case of sunburn, not the severe second degree burns he'd had just the night before.

"I thought Yukio said they would heal slower…" Rin said, thinking out loud as he wiggled his fingers.

"I dunno." Bon began to unwrap Rin's hand, not bothering with a nurse. If his suspicions were correct then there wouldn't be a need for them anyway, at least not immediately.

Carefully he pulled the last of the bandage away, cautious in case he was wrong. The last thing he wanted to do was cause Rin more discomfort by pulling skin off that was trying to heal. Much to his delight, however, Rin hands looked miraculously better. The deep burns had healed, covered now with light scabs, new skin had grown back and there was no sign of muscle or nerve damage.

"Wow." Bon whispered, running his fingers tips over Rin's palm, smiling when Rin twitched at the sensation.

"That tickles." He said, pulling his hands back and wiggling his fingers. Surely enough all the feeling had returned in his hand. "Do the other one." He said, holding out his right hand.

Unlike the night before he was able to move his fingers, and feeling had returned to his hand. Once Bon unwrapped it they found the result the same, new skin, light scabbing and full function.

" 'Suppose that demon blood of yours is worth somethin' after all." Bon grinned, crossing his arms and giving a slight shake of his head.

"Hey!" Rin's eyes narrowed defensively and his jaw clenched. "I'm worth more than my blood."

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way I'm goin' to get some coffee."Bon said, hitting the nurse call button before he turned again to leave.

"Ugh." Rin groaned as the nurse's button lit up, signaling someone was on their way. "Thanks a lot." He grumbled. Up until that moment he was going to try and sleep some more, but that would be unlikely after he'd been fussed over.

"You're welcome, sunshine." Bon grinned, leaving Rin in the room. He strode down the hall and jabbed the down button to the elevator, waiting patiently for it to arrive.

With his hands stuffed in his sweat pant's pocket he glanced around the white hallway, muttering a small "Good morning" to the nurses who passed. One young lady gave him a peppy reply, and Bon recognized her as one of the nurses who had tended to Rin the night before.

"Is your friend up and about?" she asked, stopping momentarily to chat. It was obvious she was busy, an air of hustle swam around her, and her clip board was tucked under her arm complimented by the pen stuck in her hair.

Bon nodded and smiled as he spoke. "He is, I just called a nurse in to see him. His hands look a lot better."

"That's good. So, word is you guys passed your meister exams?" she asked, crossing her arms just below her chest, subtly causing her breasts to push out. Her eyes became doey, and she glanced down at Bon, making her way up his body then stopped, pointedly looking him in the eyes.

Oh god, she was trying to flirt with him. Bon's face flared red and he stammered to think of what to say. "Yeah….sure…." was all he managed. It was a lame and idiotic response, but he didn't really care, he just wanted her to go away. Shameless flirting was never his strong point, unless it was toward someone he was really interested in.

Attempting to end the conversation he shifted his body away from her, turning toward the elevator door, wondering what the hell was taking so long. Did it always take a life time for the damn thing to come?

"What meister did you get?" the nurse asked, oblivious to Bon's body language. Instead she leaned her shoulder on the wall, uncrossing her arms to place a hand on her hip.

"Dragoon." He informed her, now avoiding all eye contact. The elevator lights pinged, the number nine lighting up. Only four floors away. He wondered if he'd make it out alive. Shima had provided him with very useful lessons on the wrath of a scorned woman, and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Oh, how interesting. I love a weapons expert." Bon glanced over at her, the hair rising on his skin when he saw she had plucked the pen from her hair, and was now suggestively chewing on the end. His eyes shot back to the elevator door. "Say, what about we get a cup of coffee together?"

"Uh nope. Nope, can't do that." Bon stammered, watching the elevator lights, his fists clenched as it came to a stop at the floor above him. Fuck.

"Well, then where were you going so early?" she asked suspiciously.

Bon jabbed the down button again, as if to urge the elevator faster. "Smoke, I need a smoke." He lied, although it was only half true. He was known to occasionally smoke in the mornings if he didn't get to run. What could he say? You lose one stress relief you try another.

The nurse's eyebrow popped up, looking at Bon like he was completely full of shit. "Mind if I ride the elevator with you then? I was getting ready to head down to the cafeteria."

Bon clenched his jaw, knowing she was lying. "Do you take your clipboard to breakfast a lot?" he snapped, his temper getting the better of him. It never was a good situation when he started to feel trapped. Whenever he felt like his attempt to be polite, or cunning to end a situation failed he would move to his last option; get angry.

Frowning at his sudden attitude the nurse shifted away from the wall, crossing her arms and jutting her leg out slightly. Oh, if looks could kill.

"Wait, and you and that kid, you know…together?" she asked, wondering if, perhaps, that was cause for Bon's defensive behavior.

"What?" the blunt manner of her question caused him to look at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. "No!" he answered, quickly regaining his senses. "No, he is just a friend." He looked back to the elevator, thanking every god that existed when the button went out and the door chimed.

"Huh….Well, if you change your mind I'll be at the nursing station." She said as Bon stepped into the elevator, immediately hitting button that would close the doors.

Without a word of good-bye he sighed a sigh of relief once the door was shut, waiting to hit the "C" button that would take him to the cafeteria. He needed a moment to regain his wits. Maybe a smoke wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the situation he tapped the "C", pushing aside his nicotine addiction. To make matters worse he now had other thoughts occupying his brain, as if it wasn't busy enough.

Him, and Rin, dating? What an odd thought. "Would it really be that different?" he wondered, silently thinking to himself.

"I mean, we hang out now, sure; but if we were dating what would we do? Go to the movies?" he scoffed at himself, thinking of how stupid he would sound.

"Hey Rin, want to go to the movies? No, no Shima or Koneko, just us." He rolled his eyes at himself, stepping out of the elevator when it opened. Yeah, that didn't sound stupid at all. Still, he wasn't able to answer his question. What would it be like?

The cafeteria was busy, the doctors, nurses, and assistants all trying to get something to eat, or wake up with a drink before the day really kicked into gear. He ignored most of them, too lost in his own thoughts. It was only when he was getting coffee he bothered to say "Excuse me" to a doctor he lightly bumped into, not that he seemed to care.

Inevitably his thoughts drifted back to his dream. Of Rin on top of him, kissing him, touching him. The memories put him in a daze, deaf to his surroundings as he went back to the elevator. As he was waiting he glanced at the doors that lead outside and took a sip of his coffee.

By the time the elevator had come he'd abandoned his place in front of the doors, instead venturing outside with an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth.

Maybe that would be the difference? Maybe if they dated all that would change was their sexual activity. Wasn't that was dating was; another way of giving someone permission to do what they wanted to you?

He walked over to a designated smoking area, nodded in acknowledgement to another fellow smoker, and lit his cigarette, exhaling the smoke then sipping his coffee.

Hell, would Rin even want to date him? "God, imagine that embarrassment." He thought to himself, scenarios of Rin's reaction playing in his head.

He could see it now. He'd ask Rin out, seemingly to do something harmless, then Rin would catch on a freak out. Their relationship would become strained and awkward. It was enough to make Bon realize that doing such a thing was completely out of the question. His mild attraction wasn't worth losing a friend.

As he took another drag from his cigarette the flicker of a purple cape caught his eye, and he glanced over to see Mephisto strolling into the hospital's front entrance. While he had been in the shower when Yukio informed Rin of their boss's plan to stop by he knew Mephisto was probably there for one reason.

Not wanting to miss anything he shoved his half smoked cancer stick into an ash tray and dashed off for the cafeteria entrance, not bothering with the elevator. Instead he took the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Despite his good health and frequent exercise he was still huffing when he made it to the fifth floor. Maybe he would have to try to stair elliptical at the gym. Shoving the emergency door open he jogged down the hallway to Rin's room, taking only a moment to catch his breath before entering.

Somehow, but not surprisingly, Mephisto had already made it into Rin's room. They were talking but Bon had no idea about what. He'd walked in on the middle of their discussion, but he knew enough to understand Rin was pissed about something. His face was set in a hard expression, and his fists were clenched in his lap as he sat up in his bed.

"I don't care, you should at least let him take it again." Rin snapped, interrupting Mephisto as he was about to speak.

"That is between myself and Mr. Suguro, I believe." Mephisto said, turning to acknowledge Bon who had cautiously walked into the room.

While he wasn't beyond eves dropping he didn't want to seem rude. This changed quite drastically when he realized they were talking about him, however. "Take what again?" he asked, looking from Rin to Mephisto. "My test?"

Mephisto opened his mouth to speak, his index finger held in the air, apparently ready to assist Mephisto who was going to make a highly declarative statement.

Before he got to opportunity Rin cut in…again. "Yes, it is bullshit, what happened, and we all know it."

Bon gave Rin a sympathetic look, knowing he was just trying to help. It didn't change the fact that Bon wouldn't be caught dead asking for an exception, or any sort of assistance. "Rin, it's fine. I can try again next year."

As Rin was getting ready to rebut Mephisto loudly cleared his throat, done with being interrupted. "If I may." He said, shooting Rin a threatening look, as if daring him to say something.

It was a cold day in hell, because Rin kept his mouth shut, waiting to hear what Mephisto had to say. So he continued, "I spoke with the Grigori during exam reviews, along with a few of our head professors, and we came to the decision to amend your previous assessment." He explained, reaching a hand into his folded pink umbrella and withdrawing a green folder. "For showing peaceful mindfulness, and strong resolve, the Grigori feel you will be a wonderful addition to our Aria department."

He held the folder out to Bon, who took it and flicked it open, presenting him with a certificate of graduation from the program, specializing in Aria studies.

Rin leaned from his bed, neck stuck out as he tried to steal a look at the document. Bon held the folder to the side, showing it to Rin who instantly blushed in embarrassment over his rash behavior.

"If you would have let me talk, little brother, I would have explained that to you sooner." He grinned, speaking to him like a parent scolding their child.

"Whatever." Rin grumbled, looking away from Mephisto grudgingly.

"As much as I wish this were all about delivering good news, I have been informed of your speedy recovery, and am here on business as well." His attention turned from Bon to Rin, who looked back inquisitively.

"Oh, yeah?" Bon tucked his folder under his arm, waiting for his explanation.

"The Order has been informed of an incident at Mt. Aso, which erupted recently." He explained, apparently content with giving that small bit of information. Bon, however, had different feelings.

"And? What is weird about that? It's an active volcano." Bon explained, failing to see the urgency or point.

"We have active volcanoes?" Rin interjected, receiving a deadpan look from Bon.

"Yes, little brother-"

"Stop calling me that!" Rin barked.

"-We do have active volcanoes in Japan." Mephisto ignored him, continuing as if hadn't been interrupted. "What is odd, Mr. Suguro, is the flow of lava that is streaming uphill. It has already been responsible for the destruction of two smaller, neighboring towns."

Bon's brow furrowed together, his lips frowning. "Uphill?"

Mephisto nodded, once again ignoring Rin who was looking as lost as a puppy without its mother. "Indeed. So, consider this your first assignment. Both I and the Grigori feel it would be in everyone's best interest to pair you both together, seeing as you've had experience working together on numerous occasions."

He reached into his umbrella again and pulled out two sheets of paper. "These are your uniform applications, submit them no later than tonight. Tomorrow morning you will have your equipment and uniforms delivered to your dorms, along with a briefing of the mission." He explained, handing a sheet of paper to each of them.

With that he turned and strode out of the room, leaving a shell shocked Rin and Bon. As he was making his departure he stopped, foot hung in midstride, wearing a thoughtful expression. "Oh, and one more thing. You are required to vacate your dorms no later than the 26th of this month. Have a good day, gentlemen." And with that he left.

"Wait…." Rin looked from the uniform application to Bon. "Were we just given a job and kicked out of our houses in the same conversation?"

Bon took another sip of his coffee, which by now began turning tepid. "I guess so." He said, setting his coffee down and looking around the room. "You have a pen?" he asked.

Rin gave him a looked that asked if he were stupid. "I'm in a hospital gown in a bed. Why the hell would I have a pen?"

"Cool it, would ya'? I was only askin'." Bon said, going and rummaging around the couch where Yukio had been sitting the day before. Sure enough he'd left a pen behind, which Bon clicked into action. He sat down and folded his leg, using his calf to write on.

"Are you getting a jacket?" he asked Rin, who was scanning over his own paper.

"Yeah." Rin answered, trying to find the right box he could check off.

There were a lot of options, some which he didn't understand. He didn't know what a boubou was, or an ushanka, or African Beads, or a bindi, or much of anything that was on the paper. As he scanned down the list further he saw that his uniform could be as unique as he wanted. There were varieties of rings, necklaces, belts, coats, pants, shorts or anything else one could think of.

Luckily the sections were broken down by continents, then countries. It was easy for Rin to find his fashion, now all he needed as a pen.

Leaning from the bed he peered over at Bon, who was focused on his own paper. He leaned back, trying to wait until Bon was done.

His tail thumped against the bed and he looked down at the pendant that was hanging on his neck. For a moment he wondered if he'd imagined taking it off, then decided he didn't care.

His eyes scanned the room, bored. His tail thumped again and he glanced back over to Bon, who was writing something down on his paper.

He bit his lip, trying again to be patient. Another few seconds passed and he blurted out. "Can I use your pen?"

"No," Bon didn't even bother to look up, "Go get your own."

"From where?" Rin looked around the room, sure there wasn't another one. It had been lucky enough that Bon had found Yukio's in the first place.

"The nurse's station. There is a girl there, ask her. Tell her I need it, she'll probably give you five." He grumbled as he continued writing.

"Why would she give you five?" Rin asked, but after a moment of silence he understood he was being ignored.

He sat in bed for another moment, his tail wrapping around his wrist as he thought of something. "I don't want to go out without clothes." He explained. It was bad enough being half dressed around Bon, but he didn't want to go out into the hall like that.

Bon sighed and stood up, setting his paper and pen down. He grabbed the bottom of his hoodie and slung his arms over his head, stripping himself of it. Unfortunately his sweater became caught in his shirt, and Bon pulled off both articles of clothing accidentally. As he went to separate his hoodie and shirt Rin couldn't help but silently gawk.

No joke, Bon was gorgeous. Unlike Rin he wasn't thin, which wasn't to be mistaken with saying he was overweight. His body was solid, his abs slightly sculpted from his days at the gym, his arms had a cut at their biceps accenting his muscles, his forearms had a delicious bulge that separated his extensor and flexor muscles, and his shoulders were so lean it made Rin swallow with difficulty.

And, of course, a piercing which Rin never knew he had. Pierced horizontally was a barbell that went through Bon's left nipple. Thank god Bon was preoccupied with getting his shirt back on, otherwise Rin was sure his large eyes and dreamy look would have frightened him away, never to be seen again.

By the time Bon had his shirt covering his body Rin was wondering if he could somehow trick him into taking it back off, but was stopping from his plotting.

"Here," Bon thrust the hoodie to Rin, who took it with mild disappointment. "There are sweatpants in the bathroom. I brought an extra pair in case I had to stay longer."

"Thanks." Rin muttered, trying to fake his appreciation as his mind was in another world.

When the hell had Bon gotten so hot, and why the hell hadn't he noticed sooner? Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Bon naked. It had to be at the New Year's festival, when they all had to band together to bathe Usamaro, which was a good four years ago. He hadn't been paying attention either, as the little demon he was watching had been wreaking havoc in the shower.

He put the hoodie on and stood up, grateful the IV had been removed from his arm earlier that morning. It had made trips to the bathroom a nightmare. Following Bon's instructions he found a plain grey pair of sweatpants and slid them on, removing the hospital gown and leaving it on the floor.

When he came back into the room Bon was still focused on his paper, so he went into the hallway to find the nurse's station, which was just at the end of the hall. It was probably best if he took his mind off Bon anyway. Yukio always said obsessive thinking wasn't healthy.

"Excuse me?" he interrupted two nurses who were chatting, giving a polite smile as to not seem rude. "Could I borrow a pin?"

"Sure thing, sweetie." One of the nurses grabbed a pen and handed it over to Rin, who said thanks and began to return to his room.

On the way his mind drifted back to Bon, and he began to think about how nice it had been to have him around. Despite his odd antics that morning it had made a huge difference to not be stuck with Yukio, or worse by himself. Surely there had to be a way he could thank him.

When he came back into the room he found Bon shoving a few things into his gym bag, getting ready to leave when Rin was discharged.

"They said I'd probably be out by tonight." He told Bon, sitting back down on the bed and pulling his empty food tray over so he could write.

"Good, we can stop and get some real food." Bon laughed, shoving his notebook into his bag then zipping it up. The things he would do for a cheeseburger were ridiculous, never mind a good sushi roll.

Rin twirled the pen in his hands, idly starring down at his blank form. "I appreciate you hanging out with me. It was really cool of you."

Bon stood up from his bag and looked over at Rin with a blank expression. "Yeah man, you know I don't mind. Someone had to make sure you don't lose your shit and burn the place down, right?" he teased, not wanting things to seem awkward. He really did suck with close conversations and tender moments.

Rin grabbed a pillow from behind his back and tossed it harmlessly at Bon. "Whatever, skunk." He smirked, looking back to his form. "What'd you fill out, anyway? I think I'm just going to get a trench."

Bon caught the pillow and tossed it down on the couch."I got a set of robes." He explained, trying not to bother with the complexity of the colors he chose and why.

"Oh, you mean like your Dad's?" Rin asked, checking off the box for a trench coat, one that had two sets of buttons, totaling six in all. It was just like his father's, judging from the old pictures Rin had seen of him. At least he didn't have to feel that embarrassed about trying to be a great exorcist like his own dad, if Bon had the same ambition.

"No," Bon replied quickly. "Not like my Dad's."

"Never mind about the lack of embarrassment." Rin thought quietly to himself, checking off another box for a pair of black jeans and a pair of sneakers. He glanced over at his sword and thought for a moment, then scanned his paper.

Under the American category was the option for a pair of fingerless gloves, which he checked as well. The callouses forming on his palms were beginning to get annoying, so a nice pair of gloves would be appreciated.

"You think I should get my gloves in leather?" he asked, not sure which material to choose.

"No way." Bon snorted, picking up the remote and turning on the TV. "You'll sweat and they will feel like crap. Get wool or somethin', it's absorbent and warm."

Rin nodded in agreement, checking off a box. He scanned the list and deemed himself done, setting the paper and pen down on the tray. "How do you think they'll get it to us so fast?" he asked, glancing at Bon's own paper that had his hand writing all over it.

His question was met with silence, and when he looked up he saw Bon standing, mouth slightly ajar, eyes fixated on the TV screen.

"Bon?" Rin asked, trying to get his attention.

"We are going to have one hell of a mission." Bon muttered, turning up the TV.

" 'I'm standing in, what was, the center of harvest city Aso.'" A reporter spoke into the camera, his suit and jacket dusted with ash, sweat dripping from his brow. Behind him were large rice fields, ablaze with fire.

" 'Although most of the city was evacuated there has been massive economic devastation. As you can see behind me, the dry fields have been burning for the better of 15 hours, hospitals and houses have been abandoned, lost to the molten and fire. At least 18 people have gone missing, and countless more are unaccounted for at this time.'" The reporter continued, the camera turning to show the town's buildings crumbling under the heat.

Fire crept up pillars, weakening house's infrastructure causing them to collapse into the lava that was steadily flowing. The lens zoomed in further, showing an abandoned hospital that appeared to be melting away, leaning sickly to one side.

" 'It has also been reported that the stream of lava is on course for Kashiwabaru. We have reporters stationed, live, awaiting any response from police officials. Currently scientists and geologists are scrambling, trying to figure out what has caused this phenomenon of reverse flow. We go now to Skahashi, local and expert geologist for opinion.'" The camera zoomed over, back to the reporter who was standing next to an older man in glasses with ash colored hair.

Bon turned the TV back down and looked over to Rin. "Seems pretty serious, huh?"

Rin, who had watched the whole thing silently, burst into a frenzy. "Serious? Bon we have to go! People are dying!" he yelled, reaching over his bed and grabbing his folder that contained his certifications and credentials.

Bon watched Rin dash around the room wildly, his tail mindlessly knocked into things. He grabbed the rest of Bon's stuff (because god forbid he not have hair gel), both of their toothbrushes, and some other odd things. He snatched both his and Bon's papers and grabbed Bon's bag, stuffing everything in, not bothering to zip it up.

"Rin, calm down!" Bon urged as Rin shoved the bag into his hands.

Rin, who was getting ready to dash off into the hallway, was abruptly stopped when his tail caught on something. Looking back he realized Bon had a gentle hold on his tail, with no intentions of letting go. "What?!" he barked, frustrated at being slowed down.

Bon scowled at Rin, keeping a hold of his tail. "Settle down! The fire isn't going anywhere, and you still aren't 100% yet." Bon said, looking at Rin's hands that were a light hue of pink, the fresh skin still trying to heal. "We don't have a change of clothes, you need a shower, we need our keys to the Order, and not to mention I don't have any weapons. I don't even have my beads on me."

It took a moment but finally Rin came back to his senses. Realizing the truth Rin's shoulders slumped in defeat, his tail relaxing in Bon's grasp. "Yeah, but we can't just sit here."

Bon shook his head, showing Rin wasn't understanding him. "We won't, and we aren't. I'm sure there are already exorcists on the ground containing the situation. You know they don't just send one team out. We can leave here, go back to your dorm and put together a plan."

Rin bit his lip in frustration, damning Bon and his voice of reason. "Fine." He spat, pulling his tail out of Bon's hand.

"Good, now let's get the hell out of here." Bon said, zipping up his gym bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "You go check out, I'll grab us a taxi. Oh," he glanced down at Rin's bare feet. "and don't forget your shoes."

Blushing lightly Rin grabbed the shoes that Yukio had left for him and slid them on. Bon left to go downstairs and Rin went over to the nurse's station. This time he didn't bother is polite hellos, instead getting right to the point.

"I need to check myself out." He explained, getting a surprised look from the nurse.

"You'll have to see the doctor before you can leave, Mr. Okumura." She explained, holding her pen with her left and right fingers as she leaned on the desk with her elbows.

"Well, I don't have time. Talk to Mephisto if you need to, but I have to go." Rin said, slightly agitated that she was holding him up. Bon had taken the stairwell and was long gone, not bothering with the elevator.

The nurse shook her head and set her pen down, picking up the phone that was setting on the desk. Giving Rin a serious look she pressed a button, and Rin could hear the phone dial then ring.

"Mr. Okumura you need to be okayed to leave, I can't just let you go after the serious injuries you had." She said, causing Rin's tail to twitch in frustration.

"Look," Rin slammed his hands down on the desk, startling the nurse. On the other end of the phone Rin could hear a person talking, but the nurse didn't respond. "I-have-to-leave. Send the Order a bill, have the doctor call me. Good-bye." He snapped, turning on his heel and leaving.

The nurse shouted for him to wait, but her plea fell of deft ears as Rin swung the emergency exit door open and strode quickly into the hallway, taking the stairs trying to catch up with Bon.

By the time he made it to the first floor Bon was already outside talking with a taxi driver, negotiating the price of their ride. Bon stood, leaving the passenger window he'd been leaning into, and turned, looking for Rin.

He waved when he caught sight of Rin, and Rin hastily strode over, Bon opening the car door for him. Rin's breathing was slightly labored, enough for Bon to notice, and when they got into the car Bon took a moment to look at Rin. He'd gone slightly pale and was still trying to catch his breath.

"You alright?" Bon asked speculatively.

Rin nodded, swallowing in attempt to catch his breath. "I'm good." He said, looking out the window to avoid Bon's concerned stare.

When Rin didn't submit Bon gave up and sighed. "Fine, but when we get back to the dorm you need to go lay down. You're still not better, ya know."

"Yeah, I know." Run muttered, watching as the buildings began to pass by.

"You boys are from the Academy, huh?" the drive asked, sensing the tension that was slowly building in the car. He peeked back at them through his rear-view mirror. His nose wrinkled at the odd looks of them. One with pointed ears, the other with two-tone hair and piercings. God only knows what would have happened if he'd caught a glance of Rin's tail.

"Yeah." Bon answered shortly.

"You see the news? Bad stuff in Aso." The drive said conversationally. He turned his left signal on and drove down a street, the academy coming into view.

"Yeah, we saw it." Another short answer. Bon was looking back at Rin who seemed to be dozing in and out of sleep. His face had paled more and his tail was lifelessly resting on the seat. The driver took another turn, Bon recognizing the street they were on. Luckily it wouldn't take long to get to the dorms.

"Some folks are saying a devil is behind it, that Satan himself is setting fire to the crops. Punishment for our sinful deeds."

Bon looked from Rin back to the driver, amazed at how close that was to the truth. "I doubt if Satan wanted revenge all he would do is burn some rice." He muttered, just loud enough for the drive to hear.

"You shouldn't say things like that, boy. Worse will come if you tempt the gods." The man warned, but Bon rolled his eyes.

He'd seen the devil and faced his demons. The most dangerous thing he'd ever come across only came from people. Gods held no power in this world, regardless of how they often felt. Friends betraying each other, parents and loved ones dying senselessly, rapist, pedophiles; that was real evil. An acid spitting demon was just frightening.

A short while later the car pulled to a quiet stop in front of Yukio and Rin's dorm. Rin had long sense fallen asleep, leaving Bon with the burden of getting him into the building.

With his bag slung over his shoulder Bon reached into the car and pulled Rin out, scooping him up bridal style in his arms. When he got to the door, however, he was at a loss on how to grab the door handle. He attempted to use his shoe and failed, then after another few frustrating moments kicked the door in.

Luckily enough he didn't break it from its hinges, but the lock and latch were thoroughly destroyed. As Bon walked into the foyer Yukio had made his way down the steps, gun in hand.

He frowned seeing Rin's sleeping body, and Bon who was easily supporting his weight, but having a hard time not whacking Rin's head accidentally on a door frame. "Why isn't he at the hospital?" Yukio asked, switching the safety on his gun and putting it in his waist band.

"Your brother decided he needed to leave due to our assignment. I tried to get him to stay, but he didn't care." Bon explained, a helpless expression on his face. "He is really stubborn, you know."

Yukio snorted a small laugh. No one knew that better than he, with the exception of their dad of course. His life consisted of hunting demons, studying, and trying to get Rin to not do stupid shit.

"Bring him up stairs, I'll have Ukoback get you something to eat after that." He said, turning on the steps to lead the way to their room.

The mention of the kitchen demon's cooking sent Bon stomach grumbling, so he hastily followed Yukio up the stairs, careful not to stumble and drop Rin. Although the thought of Rin comically toppling down the stairs was amusing Bon still did his best to avoid it.

Yukio swung their door open, tossing Rin's blankets aside and Bon set him down on the mattress, still dead to the world. "Man, he could sleep through an apocalypse." Bon mused, causing Yukio to laugh lightly.

"You should try waking him up for school." He said, throwing the blankets over Rin so he wouldn't get cold. "How about breakfast?"

Bon glanced down at Rin, his head and a foot poking out from under the covers. It seemed wrong to leave him so suddenly, especially after he'd been there for almost a week. But still, he was hungry.

His stomach gave another growl and Yukio smirked. "Come on, Suguro. He'll be fine. Watch, he will smell bacon and come running down."

Bon smiled faintly, knowing what Yukio said to be true. "Sure. I'll explain to you what Mephisto told us." He said, following Yukio out of the room and down the hall.

"Sounds good. I'll explain what I know about the Aso situation too, since the two are probably related." Yukio said as they stepped down the stairs.

"Thanks, teach." Bon grinned, unable to lose the nickname he'd given Yukio.

"Suguro, I'm not your teacher anymore." Yukio said with a sigh. Sometimes being an instructor really had its disadvantages. The nicknames were just one of them.

"Sure thing, teach." Bon smirked, his sassy behavior making him feel giddy. He always enjoyed getting a rise out of Yukio.

The two were quiet the rest of the way to the kitchen, and while breakfast was made and coffee was drank they discussed the mission Bon and Rin were to face, all while Rin caught some extra shut eye.


End file.
